Teaching and Research in the Knowledge Society: Exploring Academics’ Trade-Offs Through National Comparative Perspectives

Similar trends have been shaping higher education systems in Europe. First, in modern university, the influence of Humboldtian values as the unity of teaching and research framed the organisation of higher education institutions (HEIs). More recently, under the ideological influence of both the knowledge economy/society and neoliberalism, European systems are compelled to demonstrate the utility of the knowledge produced, while they are making accountable to society, imposing an audit culture. This context leads to a stratification of institutions and academics, where the knowledge produced, usually measured by the number of publications, is an essential feature to determine the most prestigious institutions and academics.

At present, the time European academics dedicate to their main roles differs, with some dedicating more time to teaching, while others dedicate more time to research. It is expected that this distinction impacts directly on research outputs. Notwithstanding, personal characteristics, such as gender and seniority, are acknowledged to impact the number of research outputs.

This chapter illuminates on the effects of time organisation (time dedicated to teaching and to research) and of academics’ individual characteristics (gender and seniority), on research outputs, placing Portugal in a comparative perspective with other six countries of Finland, Germany, Lithuania, Slovenia, Sweden and Turkey.

Findings confirm that prioritising one of academics’ roles influences research outputs, with relevant variations between academics’ gender and seniority, more than among countries.