University Adaptation in Difficult Economic Times

Despite the fact that universities are at the centre of knowledge creation and development, which itself is seen as one of the main engines of economic growth, public funding of higher education in most countries is not increasing or at least not increasing enough in real terms. This volume explores new funding schemes and incentives introduced in many European higher education systems, including competitive funding schemes for research under the name of "excellence" policies.

List of contents

• CONTENTS


• Part I. Funding: Pressures, Reforms, and Analytical Foundations


• Chapter 1


• Public Accountability Reforms and Higher Education


• Paola Mattei


• Chapter 2


• Dynamics of Convergence and Divergence.


• Exploring Accounts of Higher Education Policy Change


• Peter Maassen and Åse Gornitzka


• Chapter 3


• Global pressures and national cultures: a Nordic University template?


• Tom Christensen, Åse Gornitzka, Peter Maassen


• Chapter 4


• Financially Sustainable Universities: Challenges and Strategies in Times of Austerity


• Thomas Estermann and Enora Pruvot


• Chapter 5


• Reforming Under Pressure. Higher Education Reforms in France (2006-2010)


• Corine Eyraud


• Part II. Internationalisation and Europeanization


• Chapter 6


• The Value of Temporary Study Abroad: The ERASMUS Experience


• Ulrich Teichler


• Chapter 7


• Europeanization and Higher Education: Comfortable Bedfellows?


• Jeroen Huisman


• Chapter 8


• University Rankings: The Manifestation and Driver of Competition for Excellence


• Within the New Higher Education Landscape


• Jan Sadlak


• Part III. Massification of Higher Education: Strategies of Equality or Privatisation?


• Chapter 9


• Privatisation of Higher Education in Central and Eastern Europe


• Jadwiga Koralewicz


• Chapter 10


• Class and Ethnic Inequality in Educational Outcomes in an International Perspective


• Jan O. Jonsson


• Bibliography


• Index

About the author

Paola Mattei (Ph.D. London School of Economics) is a Fellow at the European Studies Centre at St Antony's College, University of Oxford, and University Lecturer in Comparative Social Policy. Her research examines comparative welfare reforms, health care and comparative education policy reforms. She has published numerous articles on these subjects, as well as two books: Restructuring Welfare Organisations in Europe: From Democracy to Good Management? (Palgrave 2009) and Welfare Governance Reforms and Effects in the Post-Golden Age (Routledge 2010), edited with K. Voerhest. She is the Principal Investigator of an international research project on Welfare Reforms and Accountability (funded by the Norwegian Research Council).

Summary

Financial sustainability is one of the key challenges confronting Europe's universities today. Despite the fact that universities are at the centre of knowledge creation and development, which itself is seen as one of the main engines of economic growth, public funding of higher education in most countries is not increasing or at least not increasing enough in real terms. "Democratisation of higher education" has led to the fact that the higher education budgets per student are relatively low in most European countries compared to Europe's competitors. Despite declarations of intent to increase spending on higher education and research, it is not very likely that public expenditure will grow significantly on average in Europe and therefore be able to keep up with rapidly inflating costs in the years to come. One of the reasons for this is that higher education and research have to compete with other priorities in public budgets (e.g., security, health, etc.).
Furthermore, the recent economic downturn has contributed to the decision in many European countries to decrease the levels of investment in higher education and research. Such trends are particularly worrisome for universities across Europe, whose continuing dependence on public funding puts their future sustainability under pressure. New funding schemes and incentives have been discussed and introduced in many European higher education systems, including competitive funding schemes for research under the name of "excellence" policies.
Despite the different national institutional configurations in Europe, higher education systems face similar demands of promoting sustainable funding models, maintaining high academic standards, and equality. Thus, financial sustainability is not an end in itself; it aims to ensure that the public university's goals are reached by guaranteeing that the institution produces sufficient income to enable it to invest in high quality education and produce equitable outcomes. For these reasons, this book analyses funding reforms from a multidimensional approach.

Product details

• Authors: Paola Mattei
• Assisted by: Paola Mattei (Editor), Paola (Lecturer of Comparative Social Policy Mattei (Editor)
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 10.04.2014
• EAN: 9780199989393
• ISBN: 978-0-19-998939-3
• No. of pages: 224
• Series: International Policy Exchange Series; International Policy Exchange
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Education > Education system; Social sciences, law, business > Sociology