University between State and Market: Comparing Models and Prospects

Sociologie – Call for Papers Numero monografico 1/2025 A cura di: Silvia Pezzoli e Stefano Becucci (Università di Firenze) In recent decades, national university systems have increasingly moved towards market-oriented logics. This shift has led to a reconfiguration of governance at both local and national levels. It has also generated changes in academic autonomy and in the relationships between central and peripheral entities. Although these processes have developed differently depending on the national context, they have produced a progressive standardization of university systems. There has been a development of educational offerings aimed at facilitating graduates’ entry into the labor market, as well as greater transparency. At the same time, universities are gradually adopting organizational models typical of the corporate sector. Competition among universities has intensified, managerial logics and quantitative evaluation tools have been introduced. These paths have driven a process of standardization and have placed greater emphasis on rankings. Simultaneously, university governance has become increasingly specialized and is now often managed by external managers and stakeholders. This has occurred at the expense of democratic participation and academic pluralism. These trends are reflected in the verticalization of governance structures, the centrality of technical bodies, and the growing influence of evaluation and accreditation agencies. Against this backdrop, this monographic issue explores the relationships that exist, in the national/regional contexts, between the three main components: the state, the market and the university. While contributors are free to choose their approach, we invite submissions that address the following dimensions and their interrelations with reference to:
• Governance of university systems
• Teaching assessment
• Research assessment
• Third mission
Deadline: 30/06/2025
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