One of the main outcomes of the Rio + 20 Conference was the agreement to set Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The most common terms in the 17 goals are economic growth, resilience and inclusion, all of which are critically examined in this article. This article discusses how these goals are reflected within existing sustainability programs at…

This book examines governance reforms in higher education in six European countries: Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, the Netherlands, and Portugal. It focuses in particular on the governance of the systems and institutions in these countries. The book shows that each of the national reform processes has been characterised by its own specific…

A decade ago, the world was not prepared for the widespread impact of the global financial recession. Gradually, the operating focus of higher education sector in many high-income countries around shifted, causing budget-cuts to become a recurring and dominant theme. Yet, at the same time, the expanding middle-class in emerging countries were keen…

Despite all intentions in the course of the Bologna Process and decades of investment into improving the social dimension, results in many national and international studies show that inequity remains stubbornly persistent, and that inequity based on socio-economic status, parental education, gender, country-of-origin, rural background and more…

The background and development of "capacity planning," the procedure of reconciling social demand with government funding, in non-university-based professional education in the Netherlands is outlined. Issues arising from it are discussed. (MSE)

A basic course in pathology at Rotterdam's Erasmus University includes the study of psychological, sociological, economic, and political factors related to the etiology of somatic disorders. The principles of this approach to humanistic medicine are summarized and a description of the course is given. (Editor/LBH)

Examining the ways in which Western European countries have presented and justified educational reform, Neave explores the shift in values and social ethics that occupy the center of the educational stage. States that education is less a part of social policy, but is increasingly viewed as a sub-sector of economic policy. (GEA)

This study of higher education efficiency evaluation consists of five country reports from five different regions of the world: Colombia, Jordan, Malaysia, the Netherlands, and Nigeria. The reports describe the approaches to the evaluation process in each country and in the process highlight common concerns and awareness. The studies were all…

The title echoes the well-known phrase "the idea of the university", and European universities have always been seen as institutions with a strong international dimension, developing according to common patterns. In their case, it was the "Humboldtian" model embodied in the University of Berlin founded in 1810 which prevailed.…

The traditional European university is now extinct. The conditions in higher education that have succeeded it are highly unstable and therefore transitory, and its eventual replacement is now dimly perceptible on the horizon. The European university is of course an abstraction, meant to approximate the attributes of higher education in Germany,…

This report is intended to give a clear picture of the Netherlands' educational system and of present and future planning activities. The first six chapters cover the function of education in Dutch society, the role institutions in Dutch society play in the educational system, the present educational system, the numbers of pupils and students…

Questions whether the transmission of norms and values is an appropriate function of liberal education as envisioned in a liberal constitutional state (The Netherlands). Draws a distinction between the inculcation of intellectual virtues and indoctrination. Presents a cogent analysis of the concepts and objectives of liberal education for…

Considers the paradox of a liberal, pluralist society supporting (subsidizing) religious schools whose beliefs are more restrictive and judgmental. Argues that recognition of group rights is sanctioned in liberal thought as long as it does not impinge on individual rights. Discusses liberal responses to conflicts between communitarian concepts and…