From democracy to managerialism: foundation universities as the embodiment of Finnish university policies

The administrative systems of universities attest to a shift towards more managerial forms of leadership. This article outlines how strategic management was introduced in Finland in the 2000s and how this led to a significant de-democratisation of the university organisations, despite academic commu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of education policy Vol. 37; no. 3; pp. 419 - 442
Main Authors: Poutanen, Mikko, Tomperi, Tuukka, Kuusela, Hanna, Kaleva, Veera, Tervasmäki, Tuomas
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Routledge 04.05.2022
Subjects:
Administrative Organization
Barriers
College Administration
de-democratisation
Democracy
Educational Change
Educational Policy
Finland
Foreign Countries
foundation university
Higher Education
higher education reform
Institutional Autonomy
Managerialism
Organizational Change
Strategic Planning
Universities
Finland
ISSN:0268-0939, 1464-5106
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The administrative systems of universities attest to a shift towards more managerial forms of leadership. This article outlines how strategic management was introduced in Finland in the 2000s and how this led to a significant de-democratisation of the university organisations, despite academic communities' resistance and explicit preference for democratic self-governance. The article illustrates how strategic management informed the reconceptualization of Finnish higher education in legislation (nationally), to de-democratise and to structurally reform the HE field, and in practice (locally), to drive through desired administrative reconfigurations. This anti-democratic transformation is embodied in a new institutional model: foundation universities, which have been presented as the flagships of Finnish higher education policy, are also vehicles of de-democratisation.
ISSN:0268-0939
1464-5106
DOI:10.1080/02680939.2020.1846080