The Determinants of Research Culture: The Case of Indonesian Universities

Abstract

Pursuing its ambition to create world class universities, Indonesia has adopted a publish or perish strategy, encouraging academics to write and publish extensively to institutionalize a research culture. While this approach may increase output, concerns arise about the potential diminishing returns for valuable knowledge, especially as many publications appear in peripheral or predatory journals. Historically, Indonesia's research culture has been insular, lacking the supportive, critical, and academically free environment necessary for maximizing the benefits of publishing incentives.

This thesis examines whether the publish or perish policy is transforming Indonesian social science academic culture towards being more aspirational, competitive, and meritocratic. Through a critical realist approach, I use surveys and interviews with academics from three Indonesian state universities to gather insights on research and publishing practices. My findings reveal that international publication now holds greater structural and cultural significance for academic careers. Publish or perish rules align managerial and professional logics regarding excellence but also expose tensions between teaching-research priorities, international-national focus, and intrinsic-extrinsic motivations.

Academics navigate these challenges by optimizing, satisficing, gaming, or avoiding international publication based on their structural, cultural, and agential positions. The strategic choice to internationalize work is influenced by factors such as workload, low pay, and individual professional ambitions. Despite potential improvements in productivity and quality, structural and cultural contradictions may undermine the effectiveness of the publish or perish policy. Strengthening the intellectual commons and providing time and space for critical inquiry are crucial for maximizing the benefits of publishing incentives and fostering a diverse and competitive research culture in Indonesia.