Governance in Higher Education: A Cross-National Analysis.

This study examines faculty perceptions of how their institutions are governed. Data were drawn from the Carnegie Foundation International Survey of the Academic Profession; the Carnegie Survey gathered demographic data as well as information about the work patterns, career progression, attitudes and values of the professoriate in higher learning institutions in 15 countries. The present research used the data sets of 14 countries, namely Australia, Brazil, Chile, West Germany, South Korea, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Russia, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States, for a total sample of 19,509 questionnaires. The authors developed a scale on the continuum "centralized/decentralized" governance of higher education, assigning each national system a score. Russia ranked as the country with the most centralized national governance while the Netherlands presents the decentralized end of the continuum. The costs of communication and of implementation are discussed. Empirical analysis remains incomplete. (Contains 20 references.) (NAV)