The background, purposes, and methods of institutional efficiency studies conducted at selected British universities are discussed. The evaluations focused on financial management, purchasing, and building maintenance and space utilization. (MSE)

The implications of the Britain's Jarratt Committee study of efficiency in selected universities and the politics underlying the study are examined and criticized as self-serving. (MSE)

Factors that should be taken into account in studying a higher education institution's economic impact on the surrounding community are discussed, potential errors are pointed out, and the calculation of the effects of institutional expenditures in the community is explained. (MSE)

The response of one Scottish university to contraction of government funding, increased emphasis on efficiency, changing expectations of the university as a source of technology, changes in industry demands on the university, and demographic trends is examined. (MSE)

Factors promoting excellence in a technical university and requirements for obtaining or maintaining it are examined, and the problems encountered by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in achieving excellence in a decade of retrenchment are discussed. (MSE)

The procedures and effects of the reallocation of vacant teaching posts as a response to economic constraints in Finland's higher education system and as a method of carrying out national educational resource policy are examined. Two institutions are described. (MSE)

The planning and implementation of a major task reallocation and program contraction effort in higher education in the Netherlands is described and illustrated in the case of two universities. (MSE)

Examination of the effects of reallocation of French government funding in higher education suggests that scarcity in some areas of the resource structure has led to scarcity in other areas, producing a distortion of the system rather than a balancing or dwindling of resources. (MSE)

The discussions of participants of a workshop concerning the effects of retrenchment on teaching and research, institutional policies, and institutional operations in European higher educational institutions are summarized. (MSE)

It is proposed that educators may learn more about the experiences of other countries in responding to retrenchment by making direct comparisons between governments, institutions, or departments rather than between broad national situations. This approach is illustrated by a government-level comparative analysis. (MSE)

It is suggested that while recent studies of European countries' responses to retrenchment in higher education have provided good information, the experiences are not directly comparable. More can be learned by examining the experiences of additional countries, making comparisons with earlier research, and expanding the original studies' scope.…

Two experiences with academic program review illustrating different approaches are described: (1) the recent assessment of research-doctorate programs, conducted by a consortium of four national academic organizations, and (2) the experience of the University of California. (MSE)

Recent Danish government proposals to increase the national and international mobility of scientists are reviewed, including a formalized sabbatical system in the universities, new rules for obtaining leaves of absence with or without salary, and plans for increased mobility between public and private sectors. (MSE)

While the model of peer evaluation has limits in its use in research resource allocation, it is vital for the equilibrium of the science structure and the university's mission, as evidenced in the University of Quebec at Trois Rivieres's pilot exercise in research evaluation. (Author/MSE)

Cost-per-student assessments resulting from changes in the Scientific and Medical University of Grenoble's statutes to improve accountability, including budgeting changes, and measures to improve teaching loads and human resource management suggest that the French university system is ill-adapted to efforts to improve performance. (Author/MSE)