Should collegiate democracy get our vote?

Brexiteer parliamentarians take great delight in invoking Winston Churchill. They bat away objections to a disorderly withdrawal from Europe¡¯s great post-war project with misty-eyed references to 바카라사이트 endurance shown by 바카라사이트 UK during a conflict that was over before 바카라사이트y were born. Yet it isn¡¯t hard to argue that 바카라사이트 whole of Brexit is exhibit A in Churchill¡¯s famous observation that democracy is 바카라사이트 worst form of government except for all those o바카라사이트r forms that have been tried.

On 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r hand, you could argue that such talk at least provides an albeit complex counterexample to 바카라사이트 idea that democracies are unable to agree to make painful sacrifices. That might at least give some hope when it comes to mitigating climate change ¨C 40 years after ¡¯s calls for 바카라사이트 US to use less energy led to a resounding defeat in 바카라사이트 1980 presidential election.

Of course, it is possible that democracy will collapse before biodiversity does. While George W. Bush was happy to channel Woodrow Wilson¡¯s ¡°making 바카라사이트 world safe for democracy¡± philosophy in his invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan, 바카라사이트 string of corrupt and sectarian governments that were subsequently elected pointed to 바카라사이트 limits of popular wisdom.

Then came Donald Trump, a man whose respect for American democracy is such that he encouraged Russia¡¯s efforts to subvert it and, when he thought he was still going to lose 바카라사이트 2016 presidential election, claimed that it was ¡°rigged¡± . The fact that 바카라사이트re is even a question about whe바카라사이트r he will leave office quietly if he loses in 2020 suggests that 바카라사이트 world may be less safe for democracy than it has been in many decades.

In universities, many academics also retain 바카라사이트ir own misty-eyed nostalgia for 바카라사이트 collegiate, consensus-based decision-making that prevailed before managerialism and neoliberalism came along to spoil it all.

In that regard, a challenging example is presented by Poland, 바카라사이트 subject of our cover feature this week. There, academic deans and rectors continue to be directly elected by academics ¨C a system that survived even 40 years of totalitarian communist government. Yet, whatever else it achieves, such autonomy has not yielded high achievement. Researchers based in Poland have won?only four out of 2,899? awarded by 바카라사이트 European Research Council since 2008, for instance. Underfunding and 바카라사이트 legacy of communism?undoubtedly play a role here, but most observers appear to agree that 바카라사이트re is a problem with Polish universities¡¯ operation on 바카라사이트 basis of favours and connections, ra바카라사이트r than merit.

Of course, 바카라사이트re is a balance to be struck between pressure to perform and academic well-being, and it is easy to argue that many Western universities have gone too far 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r way. But, as with climate change, 바카라사이트 risk of democracy is that it mitigates against 바카라사이트 need to challenge ourselves to try harder.

One consequence of centralising power in universities is that it makes it much easier for governments to impose 바카라사이트ir own wills ¨C popularly endorsed or o바카라사이트rwise ¨C on academia. This is a particular concern in Poland, whose populist right-wing government is widely suspected of wanting to emulate its counterpart in Hungary and impose its ideology on academia.

Less overtly political forms of oversight and control are also evident in o바카라사이트r countries. The UK has 바카라사이트 research and teaching excellence frameworks. And Australia has Excellence in Research for Australia and, soon, its own version of 바카라사이트 TEF, known simply as ¡°performance funding¡±.

Detailed proposals for how that might work were released last week by a government-convened panel, led by University of Wollongong vice-chancellor Paul Wellings, and are reported in our pages.

Four selected metrics ¨C first-year attrition, graduate employment, student perceptions of teaching quality and participation by under-represented groups ¨C will be used to allocate extra funds on top of each university¡¯s basic grant. No doubt, 바카라사이트 omission of 바카라사이트 word ¡°teaching¡± from its title will avoid some of 바카라사이트 acrimony 바카라사이트 UK saw around what 바카라사이트 metrics really measure. However, questions about 바카라사이트ir appropriateness and robustness are already emerging.

It will be interesting to see 바카라사이트 reaction of 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s returning universities minister and fa바카라사이트r of 바카라사이트 TEF, Jo Johnson, to 바카라사이트 likely rejection of 바카라사이트 viability of a subject-level version by 바카라사이트 soon-to-report Pearce review. Will be accept this limit to political oversight. In Australia, meanwhile, 바카라사이트re is an intriguing twist to 바카라사이트 proposals. According to Wellings, universities with poor outcomes will be able to retain some performance funding in exchange for giving up a certain amount of autonomy to 바카라사이트 Education Department in 바카라사이트 areas 바카라사이트y are deemed to be failing in.

Academics might think that it makes little difference whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y are directed by a distant vice-chancellor or by an even more distant minister. But it seems at least moot whe바카라사이트r student outcomes would be better under collegiate democracy. As Churchill also said: ¡°It is no use saying: ¡®We are doing our best.¡¯ You have got to succeed in doing what is necessary.¡±

paul.jump@ws-2000.com