Higher Education in Economically Advanced Countries: Changes within Recent Decades

Abstract

The rapid increase of student enrolment during the 1960s and 1970s in economically advanced countries triggered intensive discourses about necessary structural changes of the higher education systems and possible concurrent functional changes , The varied terms used to describe major expected, desired and realized changes indicate a variety of value judgements: Diversification, vertical stratification and “massification” of higher education as well as “educational meritocracy”, “knowledge society” and “highly educated society”. The changing challenges felt and the search for new solutions created also a favourable climate the emergence of higher education research, which aimed at better explanations and for more empirical evidence. During these decades and during the subsequent decades, other similar challenges were felt in most countries: Changes in the relationships between higher education and the world of work, changing expectations and conditions as regards the academic profession and increasing internationalisation of higher education. Altogether, however, the similarity of perceived challenges did not lead to a substantially increasing similarity of higher education policies and reforms within the individual countries. Also, recent discourses about the future of higher education do not suggest a growing global convergence of higher education, because value judgement continue to differ substantially: Internationalisation is seen as hegemonic instruments by some actors and as a way towards cosmopolitan values by others; the “knowledge society” is viewed as reinforcing or calling academic quality criteria into questions; strong managerial power is perceiving as supporting or endangering academic creativity; the race for “world-class universities” seems to have different consequences for the quality of higher education in general. As a consequence, international comparison of the developments of higher education does not suggest any single best solution, but is most valuable as an eye-opener for alternatives.

Keywords

• Higher education expansion,diversification,knowledge society,internationalisation,academic profession

References

1. Alen, J., & van der Velden, R. (Eds.) (2011). The flexible professional in the knowledge society: New challenges for higher education. Dordrecht: Springer.
2. Altbach, P. G. (Ed.). (1996). The international academic profession: Portrait of fourteen countries. Princeton, NJ: Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
3. Altbach, P. G. (2014). Knowledge for contemporary university: Higher education as a field of study and training. In L. E. Rumbley, P. G. Altbach, D. A. Stanfeld, Y. Shimmi, A. de Gayardon, & R. Y. Chan (Eds.), Higher education: A worldwide inventory of research centers, academic programs, and journals and publications (3rd ed.) (pp. 11-21). Bonn: Lemmens Media.
4. Altbach, P. G., Reisberg, L., & Rumbley, L. A. (2009). Trends in global higher education: Tracking the academic revolution. Paris: UNESCO.
5. Amaral, A., Meek, V. L., & Larsen, I. M. (Eds.). (2003). The higher education managerial revolution? Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
6. Beelen, J., & Leask, B. (2011). Internationalisation at home on the move. In M. Gaebel, L. Purser, B. Wächter, & L. Wilson (Eds.), Internationalisation of European higher education: An EUA/ACA Handbook. Berlin: Raabe.
7. Bell, D. (1974). The coming of post-industrial society. New York: Basic Books.
8. Ben-David, J. (1977). Centers of learning: Britain, France, Germany, United States. New York: Mac-Graw-Hill.

9. Blömeke, S., Zlatin-Troitschanskaia, O., Kuhn, C., & Fege, J. (Eds.). (2013). Modeling and measuring competencies in higher education: Tasks and challenges. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.
10. Brennan, J., & Naidoo, R. (2008). Higher education and the achievement (and/or prevention) of equity and social justice. Higher Education, 56(3), 287-302.
11. Brennan, J., & Teichler, U. (Eds.). (2008). The future of higher education and of higher education research (special issue). Higher Education, 56(3).
12. Büchel, F., de Griep, A., & Martens, A. (Eds.). (2003). Overeducation in Europe: Current issues in theory and policy. Celtenham: Edward Elgar.
13. Burn, B. B., Cerych, L., & Smith, A. (Eds.). (1990). Study abroad programmes. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
14. Burrage, M. (Ed.). (2010). Martin Trow: Twentieth-century higher education, elite to mass to universal. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.
15. Cavalli, A., & Teichler, U. (Eds.). (2015). Mobility and migration in science (special issue). European Review, 23(Supplement 1).
16. Clancy, P., & Dill, D. D. (Eds.). (2011). The research mission of the university: Policy reforms and institutional response. Rotterdam and Taipei: Sense Publishers.
17. Clark, B. R. (1983). The higher education system: Academic organization in cross-national perspective. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
18. Clark, B. R. (1984). The higher education system: Eight disciplinary and comparative views. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
19. Clark, B. R., & Neave, G. (Eds.). (1992). The encyclopedia of higher education (4 volumes). Oxford: Pergamon.
20. Curaij, A., Matei, L., Pricopie, R., Salmi, J., & Scott, P. (Eds.). (2015). The European Higher Education Area: Between critical reflections and future polices. Dordrecht: Springer Open.
21. Deardorff, D. K., de Wit, H., Heyl, J. D., & Adams, T. (Eds.). (2012). The SAGE handbook of international higher education. Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
22. de Corte, E., Engwall, L., & Teichler, U. (Eds.). (2016). Emerging models of learning and teaching in higher education: From books to MOOCs. London: Portland.
23. Deem, R., & Eggins, H. (Eds.). (2018). The university as critical institution? Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.
24. de Wit, H., Hunter, F., Howard, L., & Egron-Polak, E. (Eds.). (2015). Internationalisation of higher education. Brussels: European Parliament.
25. Dienel, C. (Ed.). (2019). 20th anniversary of Bologna Process: Europeanization through soft governance. Innovation: The European Journal of Social Science Research, 32(4).
26. Enders, J., & Fulton, O. (Eds.). (2002). Higher education in a globalising world: International trends and mutual observations (A festschrift in honour of Ulrich Teichler). Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
27. Gornitzka, A., Kogan, M., & Amaral, A. (Eds.). (2005). Reform and change in higher education: Analysing policy implementation. Dordrecht: Springer.
28. Hanushek, E., & Woessmann, L. (Eds.). (2011). Handbook of economics of education. Amsterdam: North Holland.
29. Hazelkorn, E. (2011). Rankings and the reshaping of higher education: The battle for world class excellence. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
30. Huang, F., Finkelstein, M., & Rostan, M. (Eds.). (2014). The internationalization of the academy: Changes, realities and prospects. Dordrecht: Springer.
31. Hüther, O., & Krücken, G. (2018). Higher education in Germany: Recent developments in international perspective. Dordrecht: Springer.
32. Janson, K., Schomburg, H., & Teichler, U. (2009). The professional value of ERASMUS mobility. Bonn: Lemmens Medien.
33. Kehm, B. M., & Musselin, C. (Eds.). (2013). The development of higher education research in Europe: 25 Years of CHER. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.
34. Kehm, B. M., & Stensaker, B. (Eds.). (2009). University rankings, diversity and the landscape of higher education. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.
35. Knowles, A. S. (Ed.). (1977). International encyclopedia of higher education. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
36. Krücken, G., Engwall, L., & de Corte, E. (2018). Introduction to the Special Issue on ‘University governance and creativity’. European Review, 26(Supplement 1), 1-5.
37. Krücken, G., Kosmützky, A., & Torka, M. (Eds.). (2006). Towards a multiversity? Universities between global trends and national traditions. Bielefeld: Transkript.
38. Leask, B. (2015). Internationalising the curriculum. London: Routledge.
39. Locke, W., Cummings, W. K., & Fisher, D. (Eds.). (2011). Changing governance and management in higher education: The perspectives of the academy. Dordrecht: Springer.
40. Maassen, P. A. M. (2000). Higher education research: The hourglass structure and its implication. In U. Teichler & J. Sadlak (Eds.), Higher education research: Its relationship to policy and practice (pp. 59-67) Oxford: Pergamon & IAU Press.
41. Meek, V. L., Teichler, U., & Kearney, M.-L. (Eds.). (2009). Higher education, research, innovation: Changing dynamics. Kassel: International Centre for Higher Education Research.
42. Neave, G. (2011). Patterns. In W. Rüegg (Ed.), A history of the university in Europe (Volume IV): Universities since 1945 (pp. 31-69). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
43. Neave, G., & Teichler, U. (Eds.). (1989). Research on higher education in Europe (special issues). European Journal of Education, 24(3).
44. Nitsch, W., & Weller, W. (1970/1973). Social science research on higher education and universities: Trend report (Part I); Annotated bibliography (Part II). Paris: Mouton.
45. OECD (1974). Towards mass higher education: Issues and dilemmas. Paris: OECD.
46. OECD (1998). Redefining tertiary education. Paris: OECD.
47. Paradise, C., Reale, C, Bleiklie, I., & Ferlie, E. (Eds.). (2009). University governance. Dordrecht: Springer.
48. Pringle, J., & Naidoo, R. (2016). Branding and the commodification of academic labour. In R. Barnett, P. Temple, & P. Scott (Eds.), Valuing higher education: An appreciation of the work of Gareth Williams (pp. 158-177). London: UCL IOE Press.
49. Rumbley, L. E., Altbach, P. G., Stanfield, D. A., Shimmi, Y., de Gayardon, A., & Chen, R. Y. (Eds.). (2014). Higher education: A worldwide inventory of research centers, academic programs, and journals and publications (3rd ed.). Bonn: Lemmens Media.
50. Sarrico, C., Teixeira, P., Megalhâes, A., Veiga, A., Rosa, M. J., & Carvalho, T. (Eds.). (2016). Global challenges, national initiatives, and institutional responses: The transformation of higher education. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.
51. Schomburg, H., & Teichler, U. (2006). Higher education and graduate employment in Europe: Results of graduate surveys from twelve countries. Dordrecht: Springer.
52. Scott, P. (2015). Dynamics of academic mobility: Hegemonic internationalisation or fluid globalisation. European Review, 23(Supplement 1), 55-69.
53. Shin, J. C., Arimoto, A., Cummings, W. K., & Teichler, U. (Eds.). (2014). Teaching and research in contemporary higher education: Systems, activities and rewards. Dord¬recht: Springer
54. Shin, J. C., & Teichler, U. (Eds.). (2014). The future of the post-massified university at the crossroads: Restructuring systems and functions. Dordrecht: Springer.
55. Shin, J. C., & Teixeira, P. (Eds.). (2020). Encyclopedia of international higher education systems and institutions. Dordrecht: Springer.
56. Shin, J. C., Toutkoushian, R. K., & Teichler, U. (Eds.). (2011). University rank¬ings: Theoretical basis, methodology and impacts on global higher education. Dordrecht: Springer.
57. Stehr, N. (1994). Knowledge societies. London: Sage.
58. Teichler, U. (1988). Changing patterns of the higher education system: The experience of three decades. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
59. Teichler, U. (1991). Towards a highly educated society. Higher Education Policy, 4(4), 11-20.
60. Teichler, U. (1996). Comparative higher education: Potentials and limits. Higher Education, 32(4), 431-465.
61. Teichler, U. (2004). The changing debate on internationalization of higher education. Higher Education, 48(1), 5-26.
62. Teichler, U. (2007). Higher education systems. Conceptual frameworks, comparative perspectives, empirical findings. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.
63. Teichler, U. (2008). Diversification? Trends and explanations of the shape and size of higher education. Higher Education, 56(3), 349-379.
64. Teichler, U. (2009). Higher education and the world of work: Conceptual frameworks, comparative perspectives, empirical findings. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.
65. Teichler, U. (2015). Higher education research in Europe. In A. Curaij, L. Matei, R. Pricopie, J. Salmi, & P. Scott (Eds.), The European Higher Education Area: Between critical reflections and future polices (pp. 823-856). Dordrecht: Springer.
66. Teichler, U. (2016). Too many or too few? The perennial debates on higher education and the world of work. In R. Barnett, P. Temple, & P. Scott (Eds.), Valuing higher education: An appreciation of the work of Gareth Williams (pp. 178-194). London: UCL IOE Press.
67. Teichler, U. (2017a). Field of higher education research, Europe. In J. C. Shin & P. Teixeira (Eds.), Encyclopedia of international higher education systems and institutions. Dordrecht: Springer.
68. Teichler, U. (2017b). Higher education system: Differentiation, horizontal and vertical. In J. C. Shin & P. Teixeira (Eds.), Encyclopedia of international higher education systems and institutions. Dordrecht: Springer.
69. Teichler, U. (2017c). Internationalisation trends in higher education and the changing role of international student mobility. Journal of International Mobility, 5, 177-216.
70. Teichler, U. (2018). Higher education and graduate employment: Changing conditions and challenges. Kassel: International Centre for Higher Education Research.
71. Teichler, U., Arimoto, A., & Cummings, W. K. (2013). The changing academic profession: Major findings of a comparative survey. Dordrecht: Springer.
72. Teichler, U., Ferencz, I., & Wächter, B. (Eds.). (2011). Mapping mobility in higher education in Europe (Volume I: Overview and trends). Bonn: Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst.
73. Teichler, U., & Maiworm, F. (1997). The ERASMUS experience: Major findings of the ERASMUS evaluation research project. Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities.
74. Trow, M. (1974). Problems in the transition from elite to mass higher education. In OECD (Ed.), Policies for higher education (pp. 51-101). Paris: OECD.
75. Välimaa, J., & Hoffman, D. (2008). Knowledge society discourse and higher education. Higher Education, 65(3), 265-285.
76. Vukasovic, M., Maasen, P., Nerland, M., Pinheiro, R., Stensaker, B., & Vabo, A. (Eds.). (2012). Effects of higher education reforms: Change dynamics. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.
77. Yorke, M. (2007). Employability in higher education. In E. Fromment, J. Kohler, L. Purser, & L. Wilson (Eds.), EUA Bologna handbook: Making Bologna work (part 1.4-1). Berlin: Raabe.
78. Zgaga, P., Teichler, U., & Brennan, J. (Eds.). (2013). The globalisation challenge for European Higher Education: Convergence and diversity, centres and peripheries. Frankfurt: Peter Lang.
79. Zgaga, P., Teichler, U., Schuetze, H.-G., & Wolter, A. (Eds.). (2019). Higher education reform: Looking back – looking forward (2nd re¬v. ed.). Berlin: Peter Lang.