The dual-edged sword of tenure track involution: how it shapes university research and techonology transfer

This study investigates the complex effects of tenure track involution on both university research and technology transfer. While previous literature suggests that the heightened competition caused by tenure track involution primarily enhances the quantity of research at the expense of its quality, our findings challenge this notion. Using a double machine learning model on a panel dataset of 42 ‘Double First-Class’ universities in China from 2013 to 2022, our study reveals that tenure track involution significantly increased both the quantity and quality of university research output. However, this study also reveals a countervailing effect. While the tenure track involution boosts the production of technological outputs, it weakens the universities’ capacity for technology transfer. Our study identifies individualism and short-term utilitarianism as two key mediating mechanisms. The findings of our study contribute to the literature on academic careers and tenure track systems, and offer crucial insights for policymakers and university administrators seeking to balance academic excellence with broader societal impact.