Letter: Central nodes in the reform of the Spanish Universities Law

Abstract

The recent presentation of the definitive Bill for the Organic Law of the Spanish University System was preceded by a long process of consultation and negotiation with the university community, and its starting point can be found in a qualitative study carried out by the authors of this letter. That research work aimed to reveal the positions of the different sectors involved in the universities in terms of the three nodes which had been defined by the Ministry for Universities as strategic: finance, governance, and professional advancement. This letter aims to compare these positions with the definitive articles of the Bill, in addition to situating the final governance design within the European regulatory framework. It highlights the uniqueness of the Spanish model in a context of reform that is strongly influenced by the ideals of New Public Management.

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