Reform of Higher Education in Europe

Enders, Jürgen; Boer, Harry; File, Jon; Jongbloed, Benjamin W.A.; Westerheijden, Donald F.

doi:10.1007/978-94-6091-555-0_1

Cited by 46 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…These institutions have changed substantially over recent decades in regard to tasks, structure, and culture because of increased internationalization, less government influence and funding, and a larger impact of external stakeholders (Enders et al 2011). As a result of an increased focus on entrepreneurialism and competition, universities have extended their traditional objectives such as knowledge development and sharing to the commercialization of knowledge (Zomer and Benneworth 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Career satisfaction of postdoctoral researchers in relation to their expectations for the future

et al. 2015

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While postdoctoral researchers (postdocs) are an increasingly important and productive group of employees in academia, they lack further career prospects and embeddedness within their organizations. This paper provides a rare glimpse into this relatively unexplored but important group. A comparative study of two Dutch universities included a survey with both closed and open questions among 225 respondents. Our study reveals that nearly all postdocs (85 %) want to stay in the academic field, but only \3 % was offered a tenure-track position. The uncertainty of their future prospects in academia lowered their job satisfaction; this is particularly true for the social sciences and humanities. Concerning alternative career paths, only few of the postdocs spent time in preparing for a career outside academia, and less than a third attempted to develop any transferable skills, although the importance of networking was recognized. Given that postdocs seem to be trapped between their own ambitions and a lack of academic career opportunities, it is very important that, on the one hand, postdocs aim for better visibility within their organizations, while on the other hand, universities provide more clarity and openness about their further career prospects inside and outside academia.Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Career satisfaction of postdoctoral researchers in relation to their expectations for the future

et al. 2015

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“…The forces of change in Europe seem structurally similar, although they seem to act through various "national filters" [Gornitzka, Maassen, 2011]. National governments still have considerable power in shaping the regulatory frameworks and incentive structures [Enders et al, 2011. P. [8][9], but national and international policy thinking about higher education is becoming increasingly convergent.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reforming European Universities: The Welfare State as a Missing Context

Kwiek

2015

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Abstract. This paper argues that welfare state reforms and higher education reforms are closely linked to increasing intergenerational conflicts over public resources in aging societies, and reforms pressures are linked to the shrinking tax base, the power of neoliberal ideology, and changing social attitudes across Europe. The indirect impact of aging societies on all public sector services will lead to growing pressures on all public expenditures and to increased competition for public funding. A new context of university reforms in Europe is therefore defined in this paper as welfare state reforms. The paper discusses global agenda-setting and global diffusion of ideas; the impact of aging societies on intergenerational conflicts over public priorities (and public resources); globalization and pressures on welfare states; "university attitudes," parallel to "welfare attitudes;" post-industrial societies; the role of supportive discourses in the survival of public institutions; and the role financial and ideological pressures, as well as of changing social beliefs in reforming European welfare states and higher education.

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“…Starting with undergraduate studies, this work has gradually been extended to postgraduate and doctoral studies (Enders, de Boer, and Westerheijden 2011). As a consequence, the fundamental documents for doctoral education at European level are: the framework of qualification for the European Higher Education Area (www.ehea.info); the Salzburg Principles of the European University Association (EUA; http://www.eua.be/activities-services/cde/euas-work-on-doctoral-education.aspx); and the European Charter for Researchers of the European Union (www.Europa.eu.int/eracareers/europeancharter).…”

Section: European Policymentioning

confidence: 99%

Are researchers in Europe European researchers? A study of doctoral researchers at the University of Luxembourg

Byram

Rahman

2017

Studies in Higher Education

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How doctoral researchers (and their supervisors) experience and conceptualise the process of becoming a researcher and the identifications that are enacted during the process has hitherto been researched only in terms of disciplinary and professional identities. Yet, within Europe, the creation of a common Higher Education Area has a potential impact on the doctoral experience and there is a declared intention to encourage doctoral students to see themselves as European researchers. The University of Luxembourg has policies and characteristics which might be expected to support this direction of development, and this study analyses the nuances of doctoral researcher experiences, at this University, of European and wider international identifications comparing these with policies at European and local levels. The opportunities offered to researchers in Luxembourg to ensure the policies are implemented are considered by participants to be significant. Whether the level of expenditure needed is possible in other countries and universities is an open question but remains a crucial condition for policies to be successful.

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Reform of Higher Education in Europe

Cited by 46 publications

References 18 publications

Career satisfaction of postdoctoral researchers in relation to their expectations for the future

Career satisfaction of postdoctoral researchers in relation to their expectations for the future

Reforming European Universities: The Welfare State as a Missing Context

Are researchers in Europe European researchers? A study of doctoral researchers at the University of Luxembourg

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