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This paper relates the definition of data quality procedures for knowledge organizations such as Higher Education Institutions. The main purpose is to present the flexible approach developed for monitoring the data quality of the European Tertiary Education Register (ETER) database, illustrating its functioning and highlighting the main challenges that still have to be faced in this domain.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the difference between formal and real school autonomy in the Italian educational system. The Italian case is characterised by low levels of school autonomy. It is interesting to consider whether heterogeneity of patterns is possible in this context. A description of this heterogeneity is provided through archetypes. Design/methodology/approach: The methodology is a qualitative survey conducted among school principals. A non-standardised questionnaire was completed by 35 principals. The collected data were examined in accordance with the framework dimensions (different features of school autonomy) and three archetypes were identified. Findings: The three archetypes of schools identified are: first, entrepreneurial (the strategies followed and the tools used are broader than those that the law prescribes); second, chaotic (different actors express their opinions but, ultimately, there is no shared decision at the school level); and third, bureaucratic (the school's principal thinks that nothing can be done without legal prescription). Originality/value: Through a new case (the Italian educational system), this paper contributes to the stream of literature on the disconnect between formal and real school autonomy. This paper can help policy makers to improve understanding of the characteristics and internal heterogeneity of the educational system. (Contains 2 figures, 3 tables, and 1 note.)

This article examines the trend in expenditure per student at higher education institutions in the EU-15 countries, during the period 1998-2006. The results show that there was a tendency towards convergence (as measured by sigma and beta convergence analysis). The ratio of convergence is higher after 2001, suggesting that the implementation of European-level policies (e.g. the Bologna Declaration and the Lisbon Strategy) had an impact not only in the political arena, but also at an economic level. The convergence has been driven more by private financial resources than by public ones, supporting evidence for a gradual transformation of the patterns of financing higher education in Europe. There are elements that continue to influence the level of expenditure of individual countries; mainly their wealth as measured by GDP per capita. (Contains 6 tables and 3 figures.)

The aim of this article is to analyse the effect of introducing voucher schemes in higher education context. In the first part, the main economic characteristics of educational vouchers are discussed, in order to identify their expected effects on efficiency and equity in tertiary education. The second part contains the results of a case study that documents the experience gained at the University of Bologna between 2003/04 and 2005/06. The results suggest that the main effects of vouchers are on (1) the effectiveness of public support, and (2) course prices (fees). (Contains 3 figures, 5 tables, and 6 notes.)

The results of an in-depth study into the university systems of the main countries of the European Union are presented in this paper. The objective is to define theoretical models of the market forms of university education and to apply them in a comparative international study. The analysis shows a general tendency to organise these systems according to "managed competition" mechanisms in which the state plays a role in financing the system and regulating the quality of the study courses offered by the universities (quasi-markets). (Contains 4 tables and 1 figure.)

The definition of procedures and standards that can be used for the sizing of university buildings is an issue that finds few references in the context of scientific studies. There is currently no unambiguous definition of the parameters for quantifying the needs and standards for university buildings. In terms of strategic control in universities, it is fundamental to monitor the aspects related to procedures and standards that are functional to spatial definitions. The research addressing the University of Foggia's Strategic Building Development Plan provided an opportunity to apply a method with the goal of defining procedures for quantifying spatial needs in university buildings and contributing to research in the field. The research method is based on an initial classification of spaces into functional areas, then, the determination of total and partial dimensional standards based on two approaches (inductive and deductive) and referred to functional areas. Finally, a procedure was set up to compare the current state of the building stock with previously determined standards and to calculate the related needs. The determination of the dimensional requirements is based on the number of users in the time forecast considered, to the extent that they are useful for strategic planning purposes, and on the user profile of the structures. The result is represented by this determination and enables the reporting of overall needs by functional macro-area, starting from the demand register and ending with the supply survey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]