efficiency assessment methods

Introduction. In the context of globalization, the competitiveness of the national economy is largely determined by the dynamics of the development of regional innovation and educational systems and the effectiveness of interaction among their subjects, among which regional higher education systems are becoming a significant driver of innovative growth. The purpose of the study is to develop methods for quantifying the effectiveness of the functioning and implementation of basic functions by regional higher education systems on the basis of a functional approach. Theoretical analysis. The sustainable and competitive development of the region’s economy in response to modern global challenges is largely determined by the quality of the workforce and the regional education system. Empirical analysis. Based on the analysis of the basic functions of universities, the results of the activity of the regional educational systems of 830 universities from 80 regions of the Russian Federation for 2016 were analyzed, the indicators characterizing the functioning of regional higher education systems were grouped into 3 groups according to the number of basic functions to trace the manifestations of each function. Results. The conducted research allowed to evaluate the functional dynamics, structure and volume indicators characterizing the quality of the implementation of the basic functions of regional higher education systems. Comparison of the results obtained by regions of the Russian Federation allows us to draw conclusions about the balance of regional systems of higher education.