Governments in the UK and many other countries have long sought to promote the diversity of their higher education institutions. However, diversity is hard to define, harder to measure and even more difficult to compare between countries. Most empirical analyses of the diversity of higher education systems use categorical variables, which shape…

This paper examines changes and developments in institutions' internal governance during the last decade, identifying points of continuity in the policy and political environment in the United Kingdom as well as points of difference. External drivers are discussed as part of the increasingly dynamic and volatile operating conditions for…

There has been a tendency in the literature to see changes in quality assurance as part of a process of increased state control. This article suggests a more nuanced approach that also takes account of the different trajectories of the pre- and post-1992 sectors. It finds that whilst there have been increases in both state oversight and market…

A Delphi study has been carried out, soliciting views from higher education experts on likely and desirable developments in English higher education until 2025. The paper reports the most salient findings of the Delphi questionnaire and presents two scenarios that focus largely on the institutional fabric of the system. The first scenario follows…

Numerous studies have addressed how state authorities and public funding bodies control, regulate, steer, supervise or oversee higher education institutions. There are fewer studies on how higher education institutions respond to the actions of the mentioned authorities. States have aimed at increasing the autonomy of higher education…

Funding of academic research in Nigerian universities by Government (5 per cent recurrent grants) is a policy dictated by the National Universities Commission (NUC) as the central body for allocating research funds. This research fund, little as it is, is irregular and inadequate and to make it worse is difficult to access. These aforementioned…

A gradual shift in United Kingdom research funding from blanket financing by government agencies towards more diversified income streams through activities funded by various customers is prompting academic research institutions to orient their research portfolios accordingly. Academic organisations such as university institutes are increasingly…

European universities are being shaken by two revolutions. One is a radical change in the way research is funded, the other is the increased emphasis on the teaching role of the universities. This interview study examines what effects these radical institutional changes have had on academic freedom. Based on a small number of in-depth interviews…

Department of Health policy currently espouses shared learning between the various health "tribes". There are many cogent arguments for this; however, there may be unaddressed tensions because of status differences between the disciplines. This paper compares two of the main academic disciplines involved--nursing, a recent entrant to higher…