We are a consulting and policy advisory organization established to encourage collaboration and advisory services to support ongoing productivity of the higher education sector. The impetus came from applied research that was aimed at learning more about how efficiency operated in higher education sectors in Australia, the US and the UK.
The independent creation of the REEF Index is a key element of HERG’s work. The REEF Index provides a point of reference for policy and strategy that both describes efficiency and compares: institutions with their own efficiency previous position, against other institutions, and against a “frontier” of efficiency in the sector.
Additionally it supports a broader and deeper understanding of the efficiency and productivity of the sector as a whole – possibly described as the higher education ‘ecosystem’.
This innovative tool is agnostic as to any particular mix of Education and Research that each institution chooses and so for the first time allows analysis to be undertaken that takes those variations between institutions into account.
HERG seeks to make a contribution to public discussion about: Efficiency within the higher education sector Research and Education policy Global efficiency trends in higher education.
HERG also works with university executives to create strategies to increase institutional efficiency.
The REEF Index is an innovative and comprehensive whole of sector approach to measuring efficiency (productivity):
The Higher Education Research Group undertakes projects and provides services in a range of areas and some of these are listed below:
HERG is regularly called upon to provide public commentary. HERG work has been cited in the Australian Parliament (Hansard Senate 6 September 2017 page 26) as a contribution to the understanding of “real productivity opportunities” for Australian higher education. The Minister of Education – Senator Simon Birmingham – has described the work as “ground breaking” (reported in Australian Financial Review August 28th 2017).
READ OUR REEF INDEX POWERPOINT PRESENTATION
READ OUR SUBMISSION TO THE PARLIAMENTARY INQUIRY INTO FUNDING AUSTRALIA'S RESEARCH
SENATE INQUIRY UNIVERSITY FUNDING HERG SUBMISSION 9 SEPTEMBER 2020
WATCH OUR VIDEO ON REEF INDEX
WATCH OUR 2021 AHEIA PRESENTATION
This efficiency index is a measure of organizational performance new to the higher education sector anywhere in the world. We intend to develop the index both as a domestic and as a global product and we are in the early stages of an alliance with a major international professional services firm to progress this development.
We are actively seeking collaborators and partners to further efficiency related work in higher education and research.
HERG produces independent research into the costing, productivity and efficiency of universities.
HERG provides international comparators and an examination of what has helped successful outliers to strengthen research and productivity.
We have a range of ongoing research questions, some are listed below, and HERG is actively seeking collaborators and partners into these and other research questions.
Note
When reading this material please note that the views expressed in these documents are provided for discussion around important policy issues in research and higher education. They are not necessarily the formal views or policies of HERG.
Read selected scholarly research publications
The Funding of Higher Education: An Empirical Examination of the Cost of Education in Business Schools
Keith A Houghton Nancy Bagranoff Christine Jubb |
May 2021 Download pdf |
Productivity analysis of Australian universities
Amir Moradi Motlagh Christine A Jubb Keith A Houghton |
July 2016 Download pdf |