Abstract
Present higher education reforms in the Nordic countries diminish the role and influence of the state on the governance of higher education institutions. While still providing a framework for the management of higher education, in general, the state supervises rather than controls higher education institutions (HEIs). The rhetoric of change stipulates HEIs to respond to environmental needs, and the external stakeholders often assume greater prominence relative to the internal ones. This development is explained by a paradigmatic shift in the concept of good governance. Furthermore, the Stakeholder Society perspective is used to investigate the changing position and meaning of stakeholders in Nordic higher education.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Amaral, A., & Magalhães, A. (2002). The emergent role of external stakeholders. In A. Amaral, G. A. Jones & B. Karseth (Eds.), Governing higher education: National perspectives on institutional governance (pp. 1–23). Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Brink Andersen, P. (2006). An insight into ideas surrounding the 2003 University Law. Working Paper 4. Copenhagen: DPU.
Carney, S. (2006). University governance in Denmark: From democracy to accountability? European Educational Research Journal, 5(3–4), 221–233.
de Boer, H., & Stensaker, B. (2007). An internal representative system: The democratic vision. In P. Maasen & J. P. Olsen (Eds.), University Dynamics and European Integration (pp. 99–118). Dordrecht: Kluwer.
Dimmen, A., & Kyvik, S. (1998). Recent changes in the governance of higher education institutions in Norway. Higher Education Policy, 11(2–3), 217–228.
Dobson, I. (2008, December 29). Finland: Upheaval reshapes university sector. University World News. Retrieved August 22, 2009, from https://doi.org/www.universityworldnews.com/article.php? story=20081120154734901
Engwall, L. (2007). Universities, the state and the market: Changing patterns of university governance in Sweden and beyond. Higher Education Management & Policy, 19(3), 87–104.
Fägerlind, I., & Strömqvist, G. (Eds.). (2004). Reforming higher education in the Nordic countries— Studies of change in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. Paris: International Institute for Educational Planning, UNESCO.
Finnish Ministry of Education. (2009). Proposal for the new Universities Act in brief. Retrieved August 22, 2009, from https://doi.org/www.minedu.fi/export/sites/default/OPM/Koulutus/koulutus-politiikka/Hankkeet/Yliopistolaitoksen_uudistaminen/liitteet/HE_yolaki_eng_20.2.2009.pdf
Fogh Rasmussen, A. (1993). Fra socialstat til minimalstat. En liberal strategi [From the social state to the minimal state. A liberal strategy]. Copenhagen: Samleren.
Forskningspolitisk arkiv. (2008). Blog with a collection of papers and articles concerning Danish higher education and research. Retrieved January 5, 2009, from https://doi.org/forskningsfrihed.blogspot.com/2008/01/dokumenter-2008.html
Foss Hansen, H., & Jensen, V. (1995). Universiteter i forandring. Universitetsloven og de eksterne repræsentanter i de styrende organer [Universities under change. Act on universities and the external stakeholders in the institutional management bodies]. Copenhagen: Evalueringscentret.
Freeman, R. E. (1984). Strategic management: A stakeholder approach. Boston, MA: Pitman.
Hölttä, S. (2000). From ivory towers to regional networks in Finnish higher education. European Journal of Education, 35(4), 465–474.
Jacobs, B., & van der Ploeg, F. (2006). Guide to reform of higher education: A European perspective. Economic Policy, 21(47), 535–592.
Jónasson, J. T. (2004). Higher education reforms in Iceland at the transition into the twenty-first century. In I. Fägerlind & G. Strömqvist (Eds.), Reforming higher education in the Nordic countries—Studies of change in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden (pp. 137–188). Paris: International Institute for Educational Planning, UNESCO.
Kantanen, H. (2007). Do we live up to our brand proposition? Organisational identity, university image and stakeholder perspectives. In B. Stensaker & V. D’Andrea (Eds.), Branding in higher education. Exploring an emerging phenomenon (pp. 54–70). Amsterdam: EAIR.
Kim, L. (2002). Lika olika—En jämförelse studie av högre utbildning och forskning i de nordisk länderna [The same but different—a comparative study of higher education in the Nordic countries]. Stockholm: Högskoleverket.
Kunnskapsdepartementet. (2007). Statusrapport for Kvalitetsreformen i høgre utdanning [Report on the condition of quality reform in higher education]. Tilråding fra Kunnskapsdepartementet av 30. november 2007, godkjent i statsråd samme dag. (Regjeringen Stoltenberg II). Oslo: Author.
Kunnskapsdepartementet. (2009). Tilstandsrapport for høyere utdanningsinstitusjoner 2009 [Report on the condition of higher education institutions 2009]. Oslo: Kunnskapsdepartementet.
Larsen, I. M. (2001). The role of the governing board in higher education institutions. Tertiary Education and Management, 7(4), 323–340.
Larsen, I. M. (2006). Ekstern relevans og eksterne aktører i høyere utdanning [External relevance and external actors in higher education]. STEP Arbeidsnotat, 5/2006. Oslo: NIFU.
Lazzaretti, L., & Tavoletti, E. (2006). Governance shifts in higher education: A cross-national comparison. European Educational Research Journal, 5(1), 18–37.
Ministry of Education and Science in Sweden. (1992). Higher Education Act (SFS 1992:1434). Stockholm: Utbildningsdepartementet.
Ministry of Education and Science in Sweden. (2002). Higher Education Ordinance (SFS 2002:558, SFS 2002:1107 and SFS 2005:401). Stockholm: Utbildningsdepartementet.
Mortimer, K. P., & O’Brien Sathre, C. (2007). The art and politics of academic governance: Relations among boards, presidents, and faculty [ACE/Praeger Series on Higher Education]. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers.
Neave, G. (2002). Stakeholder perspective historically explored. In J. Enders & O. Fulton (Eds.), Higher education in a globalising world. International trends and mutual observations (pp. 17–39). Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Plenge, P. (1995). Mellem Stat, autonomi og marked—Rammebetingelser for ledelse af univer-siteter i Danmark [Between the State, autonomy and the market—framework conditions for management of universities in Denmark]. Ledelse og Erhvervsøkonomi, 3/95, 145–151.
Taylor, J. S., & de Lourdes Machado, M. (2008). Governing boards in public higher education institutions: A perspective from the United States. Tertiary Education and Management, 14(3), 243–260.
Van Vught, F. A. (Ed.). (1989). Governmental strategies and innovation in higher education. London: Jessica Kingsley.
Williams Ørberg, J. (2007). Who speaks for the university? Legislative frameworks for Danish university leadership 1990–2003. Working Paper 5. Copenhagen: DPU.
Wright, S., & Williams Ørberg, J. (2008). Autonomy and control: Danish university reform in the context of modern governance. Learning and Teaching, 1(1), 27–57.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Musiał, K. Redefining External Stakeholders in Nordic Higher Education. Tert Educ Manag 16, 45–60 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1080/13583881003629822
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13583881003629822