Performance Agreements in Denmark, Ontario and the Netherlands: Report for the project "Evaluation of development contracts in Norwegian higher education"

In this report, we examine the performance agreements that so far have been used in three different higher education systems, that is: Denmark, Ontario in Canada, and the Netherlands. It reflects the variety in performance agreement systems and includes a Nordic, a continental-European and a North-American system. Our report is mostly descriptive, presenting the rationale of the agreements, their goals, some of the procedures surrounding the agreements, as well as some advantages and disadvantages of the agreements. Other issues covered are the indicators used in the agreements, and the question whether the agreements are linked to the amount of public funding received by the higher education institutions – whether delivering on the agreement brings any rewards for the higher education institution.