External drivers are pressing for a more privatized approach to higher education and research, a greater reliance on technology and the more efficient use of resources. This book analyzes recent changes in institutional governance and management in higher education and their impact on the academy and academic work. It draws on findings from an international study based on a survey of academics in eighteen countries. It opens with a chapter outlining the key issues, drivers and challenges that inform contemporary discourse around academic work and the profession in general. It then focuses on national case studies, comparing changes in the top tier with the lower tiers of national systems, public and private institutions, and other differentiating factors appropriate in each country, which include mature and emerging higher education systems. It concludes by proposing a series of generalizations about the contemporary status of governance and management of institutions of higher education.

From the book reviews:

“This edited volume received the Best Book Award from the Higher Education Special Interest Group (HESIG) of the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) in 2012. … this is an excellent resource for research about the international professoriate and for academics interested in the comparative study of higher education systems. … It should be an essential addition to the libraries of colleges and universities around the world as well as the resource collection of serious scholars of the academic profession.” (John C. Weidman, Higher Education, Vol. 68, 2014)