French university management reforms: critical perspectives from a legal point of view

Abstract

Taking the French public university system as a case study, this paper offers a legal analysis to interpret the conflicting perspectives regarding the recent evolution of university management and academics’ traditional working organization. The progressive implementation of new public management reforms gives university managers a strategic role. However, the rise of managerial authority faces recurrent criticism from academics claiming it threatens their traditions and freedoms. After reviewing the most decisive university reforms, we reassess the unique legal features of the French academic organization. We particularly focus on the civil servant status, decision-making procedures such as faculty recruitment, and legal protections such as the principles of academics’ independence. We analyze the legal academics’ motives for opposing recent management reforms, and we recast their request as protecting academic freedoms with proper legal safeguards. This study aims to recall the decisive importance of legal proceedings while considering university reforms. It also aims to contribute to a larger debate by highlighting conflicting perspectives opposing market-inspired reforming processes and nation-centric elite reproduction.