IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/porgrv/v18y2018i4d10.1007_s11115-017-0394-2.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Academic Autonomy and Freedom under Pressure: Severely Limited, or Alive and Kicking?

Author

Listed:
  • Joel D. Aberbach

    (UCLA)

  • Tom Christensen

    (University of Oslo)

Abstract

Academic freedom and the autonomy of academic institutions (their freedom from outside interference) are core values in contemporary academic life. This article outlines changes that have taken place in the last few decades that impact academic freedom and autonomy to at least some degree. These include the increasing catering by universities to stake-holders in the environment, increasing professionalization of university administrations, an evolving pattern of broadening authority over internal university decision-making, and an increasing attention to student (i.e. customer) needs. Two case studies -- one of recent decisions in the University of California system and the other at the University of Oslo -- illustrate the theoretical points in the article and point to the need to know a lot more about academic autonomy and academic freedom, especially in an environment of changing management practices and scarce resource bases for many institutions. The cases were selected because of the authors’ familiarity with them and are examples meant to illuminate some of the challenges and complexities inherent in the phenomena and to inspire further research on academic freedom and autonomy utilizing the instrumental and institutional perspectives from organization theory that are the core of our theoretical analysis.

Suggested Citation

  • Joel D. Aberbach & Tom Christensen, 2018. "Academic Autonomy and Freedom under Pressure: Severely Limited, or Alive and Kicking?," Public Organization Review, Springer, vol. 18(4), pages 487-506, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:porgrv:v:18:y:2018:i:4:d:10.1007_s11115-017-0394-2
    DOI: 10.1007/s11115-017-0394-2
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11115-017-0394-2
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11115-017-0394-2?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Johan P. Olsen & Peter Maassen, 2007. "European Debates on the Knowledge Institution:The Modernization of the University at the European Level," ARENA Working Papers 17, ARENA.
    2. March, James G. & Olson, Johan P., 1983. "Organizing Political Life: What Administrative Reorganization Tells Us about Government," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 77(2), pages 281-296, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Jarle Trondal & Stefan Gänzle & Benjamin Leruth, 2022. "Differentiation in the European Union in Post‐Brexit and ‐Pandemic Times: Macro‐Level Developments with Meso‐Level Consequences," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 60(S1), pages 26-37, September.
    2. Tom Christensen & Liang Ma, 2020. "Coordination Structures and Mechanisms for Crisis Management in China: Challenges of Complexity," Public Organization Review, Springer, vol. 20(1), pages 19-36, March.
    3. Marie Nilsen & Trond Kongsvik & Stian Antonsen, 2022. "Taming Proteus: Challenges for Risk Regulation of Powerful Digital Labor Platforms," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(10), pages 1-23, May.
    4. Baulenas, Eulàlia & Sotirov, Metodi, 2020. "Cross-sectoral policy integration at the forest and water nexus: National level instrument choices and integration drivers in the European Union," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
    5. Schroeter, Eckhard & Roeber, Manfred, 2004. "Governing the Capital — Comparing Institutional Reform in Berlin, London and Paris," Institute of European Studies, Working Paper Series qt9km4z5vf, Institute of European Studies, UC Berkeley.
    6. Peregrine Schwartz-Shea & Randy T. Simmons, 1991. "Egoism, Parochialism, and Universalism," Rationality and Society, , vol. 3(1), pages 106-132, January.
    7. Yihong Liu & Tom Christensen, 2022. "The long‐term development of crisis management in China—Continuity, institutional punctuations and reforms," Review of Policy Research, Policy Studies Organization, vol. 39(3), pages 282-302, May.
    8. Matei, Lucica & Iancu, Diana Camelia, 2009. "On the Way to Modernization: The 'Good Enough' Governance Making in Romania," MPRA Paper 18941, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 28 May 2009.
    9. Oszlak, Oscar, 2001. "The Civil Service in Latin America and the Caribbean: Situation and Future Challenges," IDB Publications (Working Papers) 4285, Inter-American Development Bank.
    10. Morten Egeberg, 1995. "Bureaucrats as Public Policy-Makers and Their Self-Interests," Journal of Theoretical Politics, , vol. 7(2), pages 157-167, April.
    11. Kurunmaki, Liisa, 2004. "A hybrid profession--the acquisition of management accounting expertise by medical professionals," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 29(3-4), pages 327-347.
    12. Hofmann, Jeanette, 1993. "Implizite Theorien in der Politik: Interpretationsprobleme regionaler Technologiepolitik," EconStor Books, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, volume 127, number 112241.
    13. Tom Christensen & Per Lægreid, 2011. "Complexity and Hybrid Public Administration—Theoretical and Empirical Challenges," Public Organization Review, Springer, vol. 11(4), pages 407-423, December.
    14. Batory Agnes & Svensson Sara, 2019. "The fuzzy concept of collaborative governance: A systematic review of the state of the art," Central European Journal of Public Policy, Sciendo, vol. 13(2), pages 28-39, December.
    15. Kelman, Steven J. & Myers, Jeff, 2009. "Successfully Executing Ambitious Strategies in Government: An Empirical Analysis," Scholarly Articles 4481609, Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
    16. A Radian, 1984. "The Dynamics of Policy Formation: Income Tax Rates in Israel, 1948–1975," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 2(3), pages 271-284, September.
    17. Tao Peng & Tom Christensen & Liu Yihong & Chu Chun, 2024. "Power Structure, Issue Priorities and Attention Dynamics of Leaders from 2001 to 2017 in China," Public Organization Review, Springer, vol. 24(1), pages 351-368, March.
    18. Tom Christensen & Liang Ma, 2021. "Comparing SARS and COVID-19: Challenges of Governance Capacity and Legitimacy," Public Organization Review, Springer, vol. 21(4), pages 629-645, December.
    19. Jeremy Hall, 2007. "Implications of Success and Persistence for Public Sector Performance," Public Organization Review, Springer, vol. 7(3), pages 281-297, September.
    20. Covaleski, Mark A. & Dirsmith, Mark W. & Weiss, Jane M., 2013. "The social construction, challenge and transformation of a budgetary regime: The endogenization of welfare regulation by institutional entrepreneurs," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 38(5), pages 333-364.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kap:porgrv:v:18:y:2018:i:4:d:10.1007_s11115-017-0394-2. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.