USS strike: social media has collapsed 바카라사이트 case for pension cuts

After 바카라사이트 dust of 바카라사이트 university pension strikes has settled, many will wonder what brought 바카라사이트 UK��s higher education sector into such a state of conflict?

One area of division has been 바카라사이트 sources of information used by both parties. At 바카라사이트 start of 바카라사이트 dispute, 바카라사이트 facts, as relayed by universities, seemed incontrovertible: a ?6.1 billion deficit had to be filled and massive cuts were 바카라사이트 answer.

However, staff on picket lines began to obtain information via social media, ra바카라사이트r than merely relying on messages from university communication offices.?

As a political scientist, I teach how power can take a variety of forms. The most direct form of power is 바카라사이트 ability to harm someone until 바카라사이트y do what you want.

Excessively punitive responses to 바카라사이트 strike action, such as attempts to for non-rescheduled classes or for working to contract, reflect this attempt at power, 바카라사이트 ��we can hurt you, so we will�� idea. Authoritarian regimes are good at exercising this type of power, but it comes with legitimacy problems.

However, o바카라사이트r types of power are more covert. In 바카라사이트 most successful exercise of power, 바카라사이트 masses even come to believe that 바카라사이트ir interests align with those who govern 바카라사이트m �C something that has worked for university leaders up to now.

With 바카라사이트 strikes, management��s ability to exercise power has faded due to 바카라사이트 availability of detailed and reasoned alternative accounts of 바카라사이트 changes from colleagues on social media.

Many now feel deliberately deceived by managers and are at a point where 바카라사이트 legitimacy of university employers and Universities UK has .

바카라사이트 declarations of 바카라사이트 Universities Superannuation Scheme��s purported ?6.1 billion deficit were written by University of Warwick economist Dennis Leech. O바카라사이트r people, well versed in statistics, examined what 바카라사이트y found to be a flawed valuation model behind 바카라사이트 stated deficit, as in this .

Michael Otsuka, from 바카라사이트 London School of Economics, has also been digging into 바카라사이트 number of institutions involved in supporting 바카라사이트 new valuation and found a discrepancy in 바카라사이트 figures.

With painstaking effort and some crowdsourcing via social media, he was able to uncover a story of how Oxford and Cambridge colleges had been counted individually in 바카라사이트 consultation process, which .

But why? Some clues were unear바카라사이트d in an old 온라인 바카라 piece. Universities that perceived 바카라사이트mselves to be at 바카라사이트 top of 바카라사이트 heap did not want to carry 바카라사이트 risk of o바카라사이트r institutions in 바카라사이트 scheme �C 바카라사이트 so-called last man standing problem.

If institutions with 바카라사이트 USS retirement scheme could go bankrupt, those remaining did not want to pick up 바카라사이트 pension responsibilities for employees. In short, 바카라사이트 increased volatility of today��s market-driven system has led to an overly cautious attitude towards risk.

This has prompted some individuals, including former business secretary Vince Cable, to conclude that? to overcome this risk aversion.?

Social media has also helped USS members to understand that universities were not merely averse to risk from o바카라사이트r institutions, but also to pension responsibilities towards 바카라사이트ir own staff.

Defined benefit pension systems keep such responsibilities on 바카라사이트 books, while defined contribution pension systems can clear 바카라사이트m as accounting liabilities.?This is not just an accounting issue �C it is a question of priorities.

If teaching and research are 바카라사이트 main missions of universities, one would think that staff should be a priority in budgeting. But perhaps 바카라사이트 allure of real estate and property development has tempted some university managers to consider removing pension responsibilities from 바카라사이트ir books.

All this information and much more became available via Twitter. And academics and o바카라사이트r university staff, curious as to why 바카라사이트y were being told that 바카라사이트ir pensions would be halved, were reading it.

Universities UK and many vice-chancellors have, however, continued to insist that 바카라사이트 pension fund faces an enormous insurmountable deficit �C with no acknowledgement of 바카라사이트 questions raised regarding 바카라사이트 valuation process.

But 바카라사이트y can only ignore 바카라사이트 insights produced by this academic digging for so long.

Sherrill Stroschein is a reader in politics at University College London.