Changing university governance and management in the UK and elsewhere under market conditions: Issues of quality assurance and accountability

Abstract

This paper considers university governance and management in the UK in the context of neoliberal, public sector reforms. It is argued that the current pressure to reform university governance in the UK is related to this new style of relationship of the State and the University. The shift is shown in the terms of higher education funding and the government’s regulatory mechanisms to audit university performance to ensure public accountability. The paper notes distinctive features of the recent changes in the legal and regulatory framework of university governance. The analysis concludes with some critical and comparative comments on the prevailing impact of managerial university governance in the UK.