This paper aims to analyse the shift in the internal power balance between managerial and academic self-governance as reflected in the perceptions of teaching and non-teaching staff on the tendencies, decision-making processes and actor's roles in these processes. The empirical data used in this paper were gathered on the basis of an on-line…

Several studies on the access to public higher education in Portugal have analysed the students' migration flows. Those studies, in general, do not consider the micro-level migration decisions of students. This study analyses the students' migration flows by fields of study or programmes, grades, social background and region of origin for a small…

Recent shifts in university governance have relied on increased autonomy. Within this context, the enhanced role attributed to governance boards at the expense of academic bodies and the role of external stakeholders has gained momentum. With the aim of understanding the extent of the influence of external stakeholders at the institutional level,…

Governments recognise that careers guidance, underpinned by accurate labour market information, can help learners make post-secondary education choices that match their interests, aptitudes and abilities, and lead to rewarding employment. For this reason, they have invested in building linked education/employment information systems and other…

Higher education institutions in Portugal, as in many developed countries, have undergone deep transformations affecting their organisational structures and professionals. These reforms framed by new public management are said to induce changes in the traditional jurisdictional field of the academic profession with the administrative power being…

In the context of a political imperative to reorganise the Portuguese higher education system, a deep knowledge of student choice decision-making processes when applying to higher education is needed. Following a 'combined model' of student choice, which emphasises economic and social factors, this paper aims to answer two main related questions:…

This research examined strategic actions in European universities through the institutional evaluation reports of the EUA. EUA reports for 21 universities from seven European countries were included in the data set. Qualitative inquiry was carried out and six sub-sections in the reports were used as established themes. The findings were then…

In a context where mass higher education has eroded the job security once guaranteed by higher qualifications, students are more likely to view higher education as an "investment" which should yield return in terms of their employability. The aim of this study is to understand whether Portuguese students consider employability as the…

One common way of conceptualising recent changes in university governance is by stating that the universities are being pushed towards a market-like setting where the uniqueness of each university's strategy and capacity for introducing organizational change is seen as necessary to improve the functioning of the university. We argue that the…

Attracting international students is increasingly important for higher education institutions. In order to contribute to the understanding of how international students choose a university, we conducted a qualitative study in a public university in the north of Portugal. Results show that students seek an international experience mainly for…

This article compares recent governance reforms in Finnish and Portuguese higher education (HE) systems and institutions (HEIs). Although Portugal and Finland differ significantly, both the countries have recently undertaken similar HE legislative reforms. This article analyses the contexts and implementation processes of these legal frameworks:…

This article aims to analyse academics' perceptions on changes in the governance and management of higher education institutions (HEIs) under a generational perspective. It is empirically based on the analysis of national data resulting from the "Changing Academic Profession" international survey. Findings reveal a general tendency for…

How are stakeholders represented in higher education institutions' decision-making bodies that influence the quality of education, and are their viewpoints taken into account? This paper addresses this question taking into account the empirical evidence from eight countries in Europe. Findings indicate that formal barriers are largely absent, that…

The aim of this article is twofold: to further investigate the type of higher education institution choice using individual-level data on first-year students, and to establish the link between institution choice and the decision whether to leave home. The analysis was performed for Portuguese higher education by means of a bivariate probit model.…

European cooperation is a relevant subject that contributes to building a competitive network of high education institutions. A case of teacher mobility on behalf of the Erasmus programme is presented: it considers some Operations Research topics and the development of the Lego on My Decision module. The module considers eight lecture hours in…