... Societies: The Norwegian Experience" (Arild Tjeldvoll); (6) &amp... more ... Societies: The Norwegian Experience" (Arild Tjeldvoll); (6) "The Last Decade of Higher Education Reform in Australia and France: Different Constraints, Differing Choices, in Higher Education Politics and Policies" (Richard DeAngelis); (7) "Micro-Economic Reform Through ...
... It is projected that by 2010 100 million people will be liv-ing in the world, fully qualified... more ... It is projected that by 2010 100 million people will be liv-ing in the world, fully qualified to proceed from secondary to ... ed. P. Kinnear, 1-8. Proceedings of a Conference organized by Manning Clark House and The Australia Institute, Aus-tralian National University, Canberra. ...
The Australian and New Zealand journal of sociology, Aug 1, 1989
full-time workers or they were used as an industrial reserve army of labour to be brought in at t... more full-time workers or they were used as an industrial reserve army of labour to be brought in at times of need and let off it times of recession. However, their findings suggest that employers have genderspecific ways of organizing their labour forces and many of the characteristics of part-time work do not stem from economic processes, such as deskilling or the segmentation of the labour force into primary and secondary workers, but more from employment strategies which are related to gender. These two researchers argue that both state policies and gender ideology play a crudal role in determining whether or not women are used as mar-
This paper extracts key themes from empirical research conducted by the authors on accountability... more This paper extracts key themes from empirical research conducted by the authors on accountability and quality policies in higher education in a number of different countries (Australia, South Africa, the UK, Norway, the Netherlands, the USA, Hong Kong, Singapore and China) over the last decade. We examine the changing nature of accountability of universities accompanying globalisation and then identify a series of contradictory tensions inherent in many of the accountability/quality policies in these countries, and discuss the implications for different forms of institutional autonomy. In the light of our broader analysis we briefly examine recent policies in Australian higher education – the Research Quality Framework and the Learning and Teaching Performance Fund – to reveal the ongoing presence of the policy tensions highlighted earlier. We conclude by arguing the need to actively negotiate a balance amongst the different forms of accountability and autonomy in the interests of forging more ‘authentic’ quality in higher education.
Academic work is increasingly located within the complex interplay between global, national and l... more Academic work is increasingly located within the complex interplay between global, national and local contexts, pushing and pulling in different directions. Universities, whose "core business" is knowledge production, have become more important for nations in today's global economy, where knowledge is often treated as a commodity that moves quickly around the world. This sharper focus on universities in a nation's economic fortunes has resulted in significant policy changes that are rapidly transforming the working conditions of academics and their professional identities. This chapter discusses the changing nature of academic work, with a particular focus on the last decade, which has seen universities and academics altering their mission statements and strategic plans to integrate themselves into the global knowledge economy. It draws on empirical studies, including our own, that highlight the impact of corporate managerialism and new accountability mechanisms on academic work. Building upon the benchmark carnegie international survey of the academic profession across 14 countries in the early 1990s (Altbach, 1996), this chapter provides a follow-up based on the preliminary results of academics surveyed in two of the 20 countries during 2007-the United Kingdom (UK) and Australia-about the consequences of funding constraints, expansion of higher education, greater competition and pressures to be more business-like and become more international (Universities UK, 2007; Coates et al., 2008).
... status, the Japanese study also points to the continuing importance of family background whic... more ... status, the Japanese study also points to the continuing importance of family background which ... and Relationships between a Ugandan Pupil's Feelings about Himself, Socio-Economic Status and ... Even though the social prestige of a school did not correlate significantly with ...
Schools in western societies have been under the scrutiny of social scientists for many years. In... more Schools in western societies have been under the scrutiny of social scientists for many years. In African and other Third World countries, as the formal system of schooling gains in prominence, it too becomes a subject for inquiry. However, can the role and functioning of schooling in these societies be examined by the same means as those used to study this institution in industrialized countries? Apparently the authors of this volume, along with some other western scholars, think so; their study of the educational system in Uganda is the result. This book is a collection of previously published journal articles providing empirical research on the relationship among socioeconomic background, academic performance, educational attainment, and occupational achievement in Uganda. The study of these factors serves as a common thread through the six essays. The attempt is to compare the relative influence at ascriptive (family background) versus achievement (academic performance) variables on occupational mobility in Ugandan society with that of more western, industrialized societies. Such an approach as undertaken by these authors has a severe limitation. It applies, rather blindly, research questions, conceptual models, and methodological techniques formulated in the west to Ugandan society, with only minimal consideration for the different social and cultural realities of that society. At another level, a different ontological perspective may have lead the researchers to oppose their theoretical questions differently and, consequently, may have resulted in the collection of different data, different analyses, and perhaps different findings. The basic question posed is the conventional sociology of education one, concerning the meritocratic role of schooling in society. Within this framework, and given the conceptual limitations cited, some interesting observations and findings are made: Several of these findings are well-founded in the data presented in the various chapters. Solid evidence supports the assertion that measures of socioeconomic status do not correlate with performance in primary and secondary school. Likewise, the contention that the amount of education and academic performance in school are major contributory variables in the attainment of occupational status is based upon rather conclusive data. For these findings, the sample size and sampling procedures used are good; the statistical and analytical techniques are appropriate; and care was taken to employ instruments that would yield the data needed for these types of analyses. Furthermore, these findings were placed in the context of existing literature and discussed from the
International Journal of Cross Cultural Management, Dec 1, 2010
‘Work/family balance’ has recently come to the fore in public policy debate and academic inquiry ... more ‘Work/family balance’ has recently come to the fore in public policy debate and academic inquiry across the industrialized world. However, this issue has been relatively under-explored in the context of Asian business and society. This paper reports the results of a qualitative, exploratory investigation of the perceptions and experiences of predominantly professional women, aged 25—45 years living in Singapore and Hong Kong. Data from focus groups were used to explore how women in these countries perceive work/family balance and the role of family, government and other support structures in managing this aspect of their lives. This study confirms that cultural context is a significant factor in how women perceive and respond to the issue of work/family balance.
Despite tremendous social and economic challenges, collegiality can persist if a leader believes ... more Despite tremendous social and economic challenges, collegiality can persist if a leader believes in shared governance and gains the trust of the university community. Correspondingly, academics have to be active participants in governance.
What are my images of Phil Foster? The first one that springs to mind is the way he used to pace ... more What are my images of Phil Foster? The first one that springs to mind is the way he used to pace up and down and write key points on the blackboard during his riveting lectures. In comparative and sociology of education at University of Chicago, he gave the most fascinating lectures without notes. I remember his lectures on caste and class and his ability to relate the histories of China with India and Africa. He had a special interest in China and collected art pieces from different dynasties. Another image is of Phil dancing at one of our grad parties. He loved that African rhythm and enjoyed our social activities in the Comparative Education Center. Of course, I never saw Phil Foster in his first colonial post in Northern Uganda but having visited there, I can imagine him in his pith helmet and looking very much like the colonial officer one sees in films. This was one of his first positions after leaving university, to be an Education Officer in the British Civil Service in Uganda. He was stationed in Gulu. That part of Uganda has now become well known because of the child soldiers captured to serve in the Liberation army. Idi Amin was also from there. Steve Heyneman and I were fortunate to benefit from Phil's connections with Uganda where we carried out our field work for our PhD dissertations. He obtained for us two research grants for projects through his connection with the Makerere Social Research Centre and Sheldon Weeks. I am grateful to him for launching my PhD work and assisting me in my academic career for many years after that. Another image of Phil is when he joined me in a little sports car and we drove to Lansing, Michigan for a conference on comparative education. He didn't drive and Paula, his wife, was willing for him to get in this car with this young grad student and drive off to Michigan. Theirs was a charmed marriage. Paula was a fascinating anthropologist who was also teaching at the University of Chicago. I loved going to parties at their house just to talk with Paula.
... Societies: The Norwegian Experience" (Arild Tjeldvoll); (6) &amp... more ... Societies: The Norwegian Experience" (Arild Tjeldvoll); (6) "The Last Decade of Higher Education Reform in Australia and France: Different Constraints, Differing Choices, in Higher Education Politics and Policies" (Richard DeAngelis); (7) "Micro-Economic Reform Through ...
... It is projected that by 2010 100 million people will be liv-ing in the world, fully qualified... more ... It is projected that by 2010 100 million people will be liv-ing in the world, fully qualified to proceed from secondary to ... ed. P. Kinnear, 1-8. Proceedings of a Conference organized by Manning Clark House and The Australia Institute, Aus-tralian National University, Canberra. ...
The Australian and New Zealand journal of sociology, Aug 1, 1989
full-time workers or they were used as an industrial reserve army of labour to be brought in at t... more full-time workers or they were used as an industrial reserve army of labour to be brought in at times of need and let off it times of recession. However, their findings suggest that employers have genderspecific ways of organizing their labour forces and many of the characteristics of part-time work do not stem from economic processes, such as deskilling or the segmentation of the labour force into primary and secondary workers, but more from employment strategies which are related to gender. These two researchers argue that both state policies and gender ideology play a crudal role in determining whether or not women are used as mar-
This paper extracts key themes from empirical research conducted by the authors on accountability... more This paper extracts key themes from empirical research conducted by the authors on accountability and quality policies in higher education in a number of different countries (Australia, South Africa, the UK, Norway, the Netherlands, the USA, Hong Kong, Singapore and China) over the last decade. We examine the changing nature of accountability of universities accompanying globalisation and then identify a series of contradictory tensions inherent in many of the accountability/quality policies in these countries, and discuss the implications for different forms of institutional autonomy. In the light of our broader analysis we briefly examine recent policies in Australian higher education – the Research Quality Framework and the Learning and Teaching Performance Fund – to reveal the ongoing presence of the policy tensions highlighted earlier. We conclude by arguing the need to actively negotiate a balance amongst the different forms of accountability and autonomy in the interests of forging more ‘authentic’ quality in higher education.
Academic work is increasingly located within the complex interplay between global, national and l... more Academic work is increasingly located within the complex interplay between global, national and local contexts, pushing and pulling in different directions. Universities, whose "core business" is knowledge production, have become more important for nations in today's global economy, where knowledge is often treated as a commodity that moves quickly around the world. This sharper focus on universities in a nation's economic fortunes has resulted in significant policy changes that are rapidly transforming the working conditions of academics and their professional identities. This chapter discusses the changing nature of academic work, with a particular focus on the last decade, which has seen universities and academics altering their mission statements and strategic plans to integrate themselves into the global knowledge economy. It draws on empirical studies, including our own, that highlight the impact of corporate managerialism and new accountability mechanisms on academic work. Building upon the benchmark carnegie international survey of the academic profession across 14 countries in the early 1990s (Altbach, 1996), this chapter provides a follow-up based on the preliminary results of academics surveyed in two of the 20 countries during 2007-the United Kingdom (UK) and Australia-about the consequences of funding constraints, expansion of higher education, greater competition and pressures to be more business-like and become more international (Universities UK, 2007; Coates et al., 2008).
... status, the Japanese study also points to the continuing importance of family background whic... more ... status, the Japanese study also points to the continuing importance of family background which ... and Relationships between a Ugandan Pupil's Feelings about Himself, Socio-Economic Status and ... Even though the social prestige of a school did not correlate significantly with ...
Schools in western societies have been under the scrutiny of social scientists for many years. In... more Schools in western societies have been under the scrutiny of social scientists for many years. In African and other Third World countries, as the formal system of schooling gains in prominence, it too becomes a subject for inquiry. However, can the role and functioning of schooling in these societies be examined by the same means as those used to study this institution in industrialized countries? Apparently the authors of this volume, along with some other western scholars, think so; their study of the educational system in Uganda is the result. This book is a collection of previously published journal articles providing empirical research on the relationship among socioeconomic background, academic performance, educational attainment, and occupational achievement in Uganda. The study of these factors serves as a common thread through the six essays. The attempt is to compare the relative influence at ascriptive (family background) versus achievement (academic performance) variables on occupational mobility in Ugandan society with that of more western, industrialized societies. Such an approach as undertaken by these authors has a severe limitation. It applies, rather blindly, research questions, conceptual models, and methodological techniques formulated in the west to Ugandan society, with only minimal consideration for the different social and cultural realities of that society. At another level, a different ontological perspective may have lead the researchers to oppose their theoretical questions differently and, consequently, may have resulted in the collection of different data, different analyses, and perhaps different findings. The basic question posed is the conventional sociology of education one, concerning the meritocratic role of schooling in society. Within this framework, and given the conceptual limitations cited, some interesting observations and findings are made: Several of these findings are well-founded in the data presented in the various chapters. Solid evidence supports the assertion that measures of socioeconomic status do not correlate with performance in primary and secondary school. Likewise, the contention that the amount of education and academic performance in school are major contributory variables in the attainment of occupational status is based upon rather conclusive data. For these findings, the sample size and sampling procedures used are good; the statistical and analytical techniques are appropriate; and care was taken to employ instruments that would yield the data needed for these types of analyses. Furthermore, these findings were placed in the context of existing literature and discussed from the
International Journal of Cross Cultural Management, Dec 1, 2010
‘Work/family balance’ has recently come to the fore in public policy debate and academic inquiry ... more ‘Work/family balance’ has recently come to the fore in public policy debate and academic inquiry across the industrialized world. However, this issue has been relatively under-explored in the context of Asian business and society. This paper reports the results of a qualitative, exploratory investigation of the perceptions and experiences of predominantly professional women, aged 25—45 years living in Singapore and Hong Kong. Data from focus groups were used to explore how women in these countries perceive work/family balance and the role of family, government and other support structures in managing this aspect of their lives. This study confirms that cultural context is a significant factor in how women perceive and respond to the issue of work/family balance.
Despite tremendous social and economic challenges, collegiality can persist if a leader believes ... more Despite tremendous social and economic challenges, collegiality can persist if a leader believes in shared governance and gains the trust of the university community. Correspondingly, academics have to be active participants in governance.
What are my images of Phil Foster? The first one that springs to mind is the way he used to pace ... more What are my images of Phil Foster? The first one that springs to mind is the way he used to pace up and down and write key points on the blackboard during his riveting lectures. In comparative and sociology of education at University of Chicago, he gave the most fascinating lectures without notes. I remember his lectures on caste and class and his ability to relate the histories of China with India and Africa. He had a special interest in China and collected art pieces from different dynasties. Another image is of Phil dancing at one of our grad parties. He loved that African rhythm and enjoyed our social activities in the Comparative Education Center. Of course, I never saw Phil Foster in his first colonial post in Northern Uganda but having visited there, I can imagine him in his pith helmet and looking very much like the colonial officer one sees in films. This was one of his first positions after leaving university, to be an Education Officer in the British Civil Service in Uganda. He was stationed in Gulu. That part of Uganda has now become well known because of the child soldiers captured to serve in the Liberation army. Idi Amin was also from there. Steve Heyneman and I were fortunate to benefit from Phil's connections with Uganda where we carried out our field work for our PhD dissertations. He obtained for us two research grants for projects through his connection with the Makerere Social Research Centre and Sheldon Weeks. I am grateful to him for launching my PhD work and assisting me in my academic career for many years after that. Another image of Phil is when he joined me in a little sports car and we drove to Lansing, Michigan for a conference on comparative education. He didn't drive and Paula, his wife, was willing for him to get in this car with this young grad student and drive off to Michigan. Theirs was a charmed marriage. Paula was a fascinating anthropologist who was also teaching at the University of Chicago. I loved going to parties at their house just to talk with Paula.
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Papers by Jan Currie