Abstract
The diversification of higher education facilities and institutions, together with the importance of international rankings and competition within the market of the higher education sector, have in recent years become probably the most frequently discussed issues related to higher education, along with the notions of autonomy or management. The reasons for this interest, so as to name only the most important ones (see e.g. publications of the European Commission or Lambert and Butler, 2006), are associated with the challenges set before higher education on the one hand and with the criticism of educational institutions on the other. These challenges include the globalization process, international competition, both in the economy and the higher education sector, the Lisbon Strategy, the pursuit of increasing the competitiveness of the European economy, and the ever-increasing role of higher education in the process of building a knowledge-based economy. The criticism of the higher education system applies to its low efficiency and the fact that universities cannot successfully handle the above challenges due to internal and external restrictions. The former may include inefficient management, lack of adaptation to the needs of the community, and poor quality of teaching and learning processes. They are caused in part by external restrictions, since the growing tasks of higher education are not accompanied by appropriately higher government funding, and insufficient institutional autonomy in many countries prevents the bottom-up adaptation of a strategy that reflects changing needs (European Commission, 2003, 2005, 2006; Lambert and Butler, 2006).
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Aghion, P., Dewatripont, M., Hoxby, C., Mas-Colell, A. and Sapir, A. 2007. Why Reform Europe’s Universities, Breugel Policy Brief, Issue 2007/04, September, Bruegel, Brussels.
Aghion, P., Dewatripont, M., Hoxby, C., Mas-Colell, A. and Sapir, A. 2009a. The Governance and Performance of Research Universities. Evidence from Europe and the U.S., NBER Working Paper Series, Working Paper 14851, National Bureau of Economic Research, Cambridge, MA, http://www.nber.org/papers/w14851
Aghion, P., Dewatripont, M., Hoxby, C., Mas-Colell, A. and Sapir, A. 2009b. Higher Aspirations: An Agenda for Reforming European Universities, vol. V, Blueprint Series, Brussels: Bruegel.
Alden, J. and Lin, G. 2004. Benchmarking the Characteristics of a World Class University: Developing and International Strategy at University Level, London: The UK Higher Education Leadership Foundation.
Altbach, P. 2004. The Costs and Benefits of a World-Class Universities, Academe, 90, 20.
Birnbaum, R. 1983. Maintaining Diversity in Higher Education, San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Codling, A. and Meek, V.L. 2006. Twelve Propositions on Diversity in Higher Education, Higher Education Management and Policy, 18(3), 23–47.
DiMaggio, P. and Powell, W. 1983. The Iron Cage Revisited: Institutional Isomorphism and Collective Rationality in Organizational Fields, American Sociological Review, 48, 147–160.
European Commission. 2003. The Role of the Universities in the Europe of Knowledge, Commission of the European Communities, 5 February, Brussels.
European Commission. 2005. Mobilising the Brainpower of Europe: Enabling Universities to Make their Full Contribution to the Lisbon Strategy, Commission of the European Communities, 20 April, Brussels.
European Commission. 2006. Developing a Knowledge Flagship: The European Institute of Technology, Commission Staff Working Document, 13 March, Brussels.
Fairweather, J. 2000. Diversification or Homogenization: How Markets and Governments Combine to Shape American Higher Education, Higher Education Policy, 13(1), 79–98.
Garvin, D. 1980. The Economics of University behavior, New York: Academic Press.
Geiger, R.L. 1996. Diversification in US Higher Education: Historical Patterns and Current Trends, in: V.L. Meek, L. Goedegebuure, O. Kivinen, and R. Rinne (eds), The Mockers and the Mocked: Comparative Perspectives on Differentiation, Convergence and Diversity in Higher Education, Oxford: Pergamum.
Hazelkorn, E. 2009. Ranking and the Battle for World — Class Excellence: Institutional Strategies and Policy Choices, Higher Education Management and Policy, 21(1), 55–74.
Huisman, J. 1995. Differentiation, Diversity and Dependency in Higher Education: A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis, Utrecht: Lemma.
Huisman, J. 2000. Higher Education Institutions: As Different as Chalk and Cheese? Higher Education Policy, 13(1), 41–53.
Huisman, J. et al. 2007. Institutional Diversity in Higher Education: A Cross-National and Longitudinal Analysis, Higher Education Quarterly, 61(4), 563–577.
Lambert, R. and Butler, N. 2006. The Future of University Research, Renaissance or Decay? London: Centre for European Reform
Levin, H., Jeong, D.W., and Ou, D. 2006. What Is a World Class University? Presentation at the 2006 Conference of the Comparative and International Education Society, 16 March, Honolulu.
Meek, V.L. 2000. Diversity and Marketisation of Higher Education: Incompatible Concepts? Higher Education Policy, 13(1), 23–39.
Meek, V.L., Huisman, J., and Goedegebuure, L. 2000. Understanding Diversity and differentiation in Higher Education: An Overview, Higher Education Policy, 13(1), 1–6.
Reichert, S. 2009. Institutional Diversity in European Higher Education, Tensions and Challenges for Policy Makers and Institutional Leaders, Brussels: EUA.
Riesman, D. 1958. Constraint and Variety in American Education, New York: Doubleday.
Salmi, J. 2009. The Challenge of Establishing World Class University, Washington: The World Bank.
Stadtman, V.A. 1980. Academic Adaptations: Higher Education Prepares for the 1980s and the 1990s, San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Teichler, U. 2008. Diversification? Trends and Explanations of the Shape and Size of Higher Education, Higher Education, 56, 349–379.
Van Vught, F. 2008. Mission Diversity and Reputation, Higher Education Policy, 21, 151–174.
Wende, M.C. van der and Westerheijden, D.F. (2009). Rankings and Classifications: The Need for a Multidimensional Approach, in: F.A. van Vught (ed.), Mapping the Higher Education Landscape. Towards a European Classification of Higher Education, New York: Springer, pp. 71–87.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 2012 Julita Jabłecka
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Jabłecka, J. (2012). Diversification, Rankings and Their Conditions. General Problems and the Polish Example. In: Bienkowski, W., Brada, J.C., Stanley, G. (eds) The University in the Age of Globalization. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137023032_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137023032_2
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-34922-7
Online ISBN: 978-1-137-02303-2
eBook Packages: Palgrave Economics & Finance CollectionEconomics and Finance (R0)