과학기술계 정부 출연(연) 평가제도와 기관 자율성

The purpose of this study is to examine the factors behind the changes in the institutional evaluation system for government-funded research institutes in the field of science and technology, the expected effects of these changes, and whether the implementation of the system functioned in a way that met these expectations. To this end, the study collected governmental policy plans, relevant laws, and reports related to institutional evaluations during the introduction of the Research Council system. An analytical model combining Hall's paradigm shift model and Hogwood & Peters' typology of policy changes was applied for analysis. The analysis revealed that the initial aim of the system was to increase the autonomy of government-funded institutes by freeing them from the influence of government ministries, thereby enhancing the competitiveness of research institutions. Institutional evaluation was utilized as one of the means to achieve this objective. However, at the detailed implementation stage of the evaluations, the focus shifted, and evaluations ended up assessing the extent to which institutions adhered to the management directions set by government ministries, rather than pursuing the original objectives. Additionally, the study suggests that frequent changes to the institutional evaluation system could be another factor hindering the achievement of its intended goals. The paper concludes with implications and directions for future research.