Quali-Quantitative Indicators for Decision Making in University Activities Evaluation

The new Italian regulation for the distribution of the Ordinary Financing “public” Fund (FFO) is included in the framework of the reformation of the University System financing politics. A part of the FFO is bound by a specific merit rating performed by the C.N.V.S.U. (forthcoming A.N.V.U.R.) for the competent Ministry. Such an evaluation results in a periodical monitoring of achieved results for each University, compared with the triennial operating programme in which the main targets, in terms of improvement and efficiency of the public service quality, are presented. From the quantitative viewpoint, this ambitious goal is reached by means of a Quality Aggregate Index (QAI), obtained by the weighted synthesis of twenty-one parameters, measured on scale of ratios and assembled for homogeneity in five macro-areas. The present proposal for the QAI quantification does not seem to be statistically clear and is tends to create discordant results compared with the inspiring regulation. In this paper, the authors, preventatively examine carefully the procedure indicated by the Ministry, pointing out the statistical problems implied in it. Such statistical problems can arise also in assessment systems for other countries where the Public Funds distribution is correlated with the evaluation of the efficiency of University (public and/or private) activities. We focus our attention on the theoretical and computational problems of a generic QAI, suggesting an alternative methodology. At the end of the paper, numerical simulations are computed in order to show the effectiveness of the adopted procedure.