Economists rise to the challenge

Economics: Birkbeck College, University of London, 1992 rating: 5, 1996 rating: 5

IT MIGHT have suffered the worst ever drubbing in the history of TV's University Challenge earlier this month, but Birkbeck College's performance in the rather more credible and important Research Assessment Exercise should go a long way to redress the cruel barrage of media criticism.

Birkbeck's economics department has always been a top scorer in research, for the same reason, it would seem, that the London University college suffered such humiliation at the hands of quizmaster Jeremy Paxman.

"We didn't necessarily get the best University Challenge team because we teach on a part-time basis and the students don't get to know each other very well," economics department chairman Ron Smith said. "But part-time teaching is extremely good for research."

As taught courses are conducted almost exclusively through evening classes, days are left free for research. And a high proportion of postgraduate mature students, often in the thick of business, ensures that quality expectations are high. "We have students working in places like the Bank of England, and many are consultants," says Professor Smith. "They're busy people who already know a lot."

For Professor Smith, the cash rewards of a top mark from the funding council are second to attracting the right staff and students. "We're small and do not have or need a big budget," he said. "Unlike some of the sciences, we work on a relatively small scale. We don't get involved in big organised research projects."

What it is dependent on is good people. "We're always able to get very good, high-risk young people and turn them into very good researchers," he said.

But success in the RAE may not always work favourably. "We have a problem with staff poaching. The transfer market is like a football team and we have been losing people very rapidly. We had 20 staff at the time of the last assessment exercise. This time there are only six of them left. Clearly other departments have been building up in preparation for the exercise."

These problems have worrying implications for HEFCE's credibility, says Professor Smith. "We have a lot of young researchers with no track record, and the exercise depends greatly on peer judgement.

"The panel may base their judgements as much on the quantity and prestige of published work as on reading it themselves."