Examines the comparative approach to the study of systems of higher education, analyzes various major international trends, and discusses the problem of actual internationalization of higher education systems. (Editor/PG)

The remarks of Professor Arnold Anderson upon receiving an honorary degree at the University of Stockholm are presented. The system of higher education in Sweden is discussed, with reference made to manpower planning, unrest in academic life, autonomy of institutions, academic freedom, access to education, and goal setting. (LBH)

Examined the correlates of faculty publication productivity in ten countries: Australia, Brazil, Chile, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Korea, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Analysis revealed differences that challenge the unqualified application of established research productivity models to other national contexts. (Author/DB)

Discusses how in this issue's special section, three leading scholars in the comparative study of education explore research questions and methods from three social science frameworks: postmodernism, feminism, and political economy/political sociology. Describes the articles and asserts that these analyses address significant gaps in the existing…

Critiques the prevailing liberal-theory framework in cross-national higher education research. Offers a "glonacal agency heuristic" to move beyond this current research anchored in conceptions of national states, markets, and systems of higher education, and to instead incorporate globalization by emphasizing the simultaneous…

Compares how academic department chairs at colleges and universities in Australia and the U.S. define their tasks. Major differences noted include the propensity of U.S. chairs to think of soliciting ideas for departmental improvement as a long-term endeavor, whereas Australian chairs perceive of idea solicitation as an administrative task, and…

The usefulness of Western approaches to postsecondary educational change in three developing nations (Pakistan, Bangladesh, and the Philippines) is examined, and it is concluded that while Western approaches are applicable under the new conditions in these countries, they must be adapted to the countries' political, institutional, and cultural…

An account is given of quantitative development of the German universities in the last two decades and of their relationship with the labor market. Organizational changes following the federal educational reform law of 1976 are reviewed, and some aspects of research into the problems of higher education are examined. (MSE)

Reflects on some of the major achievements of and challenges to women's studies as a field in a relatively unsupportive university environment. Explores the relationship between gender studies and comparative higher education studies. Suggests two scenarios for the future trajectory of women's studies, providing examples of what that might mean…

Burton Clark's theory of higher education institutions as academic organization governed by unique elements and disciplinary logic is outlined and applied to Malaysia. The theory's weakness in underplaying the role of national policies and environmental factors in determining a national higher education system is noted. (MSE)

Management strategies used by higher education systems in three western industrialized societies (Quebec, France, and West Germany) and some of their consequences are described and some similarities and differences among them are examined, focusing on factors in the systems' environments. (Author/MSE)

Competition and government regulation in the Netherlands' and U.S. higher education systems are compared, and policy options to inject competitive dynamics into a highly regulated system are discussed. Policy options include demand-oriented policies (e.g., price changes, enrollment limits) and supply-oriented policies (e.g., institutional autonomy…

The three university reforms that have taken place in East Germany are described and the implications of policy decisions are examined. An investigation of the various organs of the government of higher education elucidates the disposition of authority at each level. (Author/LBH)

An interpretive discussion of a cooperative enquiry by commissions set up by the Federal Republic of Germany and by Sweden to investigate the problem of democratization and participation in the educational and research systems of the two countries. Purposes, comparisons, findings, and recommendations are summarized with discussion of problems…

The Hong Kong system of student loans for higher education has worked efficiently since 1969. Many factors in its success are location-specific, but other governments may both learn from and contribute to the Hong Kong experience. (MSE)