University Governance in the Context of University Autonomy
Institutions of higher education are central to knowledge-based societies. The extent to which they accomplish their tasks such as providing the requisite quantity and quality of research and teaching is of ever growing importance for the economy and society at large. At the same time, international competition for scientists and students makes it harder for these institutions to live up to their tasks. Against this background, the governance of autonomous higher education institutions is particularly complex. The Austrian governance system faces difficulties when it comes to improving the quality of research and teaching. Alternative options would be more apt at governing quality aspects, e.g., as regards research-competitive peer-review project funding or peer evaluations of research performance. To be successful, they require more funding as well as structural reforms of career paths for Austrian researchers and organisational structures at universities (changing from the institute model to the department model). In particular, career perspectives for young scientists need to be improved. Such alternative governance options would lead to an increased vertical differentiation of the higher education sector in Austria, which would help meet the quantity as well as quality criteria of higher education.