Searching for cracks in CoARA: A multi-level proposal for analyzing the Spanish evaluation reform

Abstract

In this brief note, I present a multilevel analytical framework for analyzing the current reform that Aneca is introducing in the Spanish accreditation and sexenios system, under the auspices of CoARA. This framework defines four types of actors that participate in the evaluation system: institutions, evaluation agencies, technicians and managers of universities and research centers, and researchers. It also establishes four levels of implementation of the reform: strategic, operational, implementation, and results. Thed ifferent actors can participate at one or more levels, establishing relationships of dependency and control between them. This model allows the identification of possible points of friction when the objectives of actors at different levels are not aligned.