  Higher education systems in competitive environments generally present top
universities, that are able to attract top scientists, top students and public
and private financing, with notable socio-economic benefits in their region.
The same does not hold true for non-competitive systems. In this study we will
measure the dispersion of research performance within and between universities
in the Italian university system, typically non-competitive. We will also
investigate the level of correlation that occurs between performance in
research and its dispersion in universities. The findings may represent a first
benchmark for similar studies in other nations. Furthermore, they lead to
policy indications, questioning the effectiveness of selective funding of
universities based on national research assessment exercises. The field of
observation is composed of all Italian universities active in the hard
sciences. Research performance will be evaluated using a bibliometric approach,
through publications indexed in the Web of Science between 2004 and 2008.
