Research units
Multiple Competition in the Higher Education System, DFG Research Unit
In 2020, the DFG has approved the research unit "Multiple Competition in the Higher Education System: Actor Constitution, Coordination of Action, and Consequences". The research unit, coordinated by INCHER-Kassel, consists of eleven applicants from sociology, economics, and business administration who are conducting eight sub-projects at eight universities. Their work is guided by three common research questions: How do actors position themselves in multiple competition? What internal and external dynamics does multiple competition unfold? What are the consequences of multiple competition at the action level and at the systemic level?
Prof. Dr. Frost (Department of Social Economics) is leading a sub-project within the interdisciplinary research unit on "Competitive Governance and Configuration of Higher Education Governance. A Qualitative Metastudy."
The research unit aims to contribute to a comprehensive understanding of multiple competition in the higher education system. Competition in the higher education system is understood as multiple because those involved in it are simultaneously involved in different, nested and mutually influencing competitions in which they compete for different scarce goods. Often purposefully initiated competitions, such as the Excellence Initiative, interacting with other competitive processes, create an increasingly complex web of demands on the participants that has a significant impact on the individuals and institutions involved.