Irish universities indeed could do with proper regulation and quality control. Quality control of course requires a way to measure quality and productivity, and that is exactly what the paper is about. Some department heads etc pay attention to these things, by the way.

The substantive point, is, this has become an industry and a very poorly regulated one. The Chinese are excelling at this, they turn out any quantity, in any category. If they decide to flood the market in PhDs I wonder what effect that would have on the efficent delivery and cost of courses here in little old Ireland? I guess the door would be shut firmly in their faces. Maybe, the loans students will shortly have to take out might not need to be as large as they will be. I noticed that Renmin University where Patrick Honahan was recently offered a range of courses dispensed in English to the intrepid traveller, they are also quite cheap and include accommodation.

I have been around universities and 3rd level institutes long enough to see staff being harassed and told “it does not look good” if such and such a percentage of staff do not have a PhD in this or that.

I am not against Ph’Ds I am against the mentality that people with paper qualifications can leverage the system to an inordinate extent. I want regulation and quality control and I don’t see it at the moment.

One of the advantages of doing my (labour) economics PhD in Italy is that I could buy those fancy Italian shoes without the laces. I also find the velcro fastening on my runners a useful way of avoiding laces.

Isn’t it about time you updated your footwear to the 21st Century?

Why do you need to employ someone with a PhD in labour economics to tie your shoelaces for you? If your nanny is unavailable, couldn’t your mummy do it for you?

bjg

As the people of this country suddenly realise that it was the creme de la creme of these geniuses that got us into the mess in the first place with their derivatives their computer derviatve trading models,computer games trading mentality.

I would like to see a situation and I don’t think it is unreasonable, wherby PH’Ds are taken off people who mess up so badly that other peoples lives go down sink holes. Who carries out these quality checks on these guys? Is it a case of walking around not knowing your own name but still having plenty of letters after it. There should be a fitness to practise for all these guys and girls.

As these studies get more and more refined, the noose tightens on the paper-shy!