Research and Policy-making in Higher Education: Six Observations by an Academic Bureaucrat

Abstract

This chapter discusses research and policy making in higher education. Long-range policy making, both in private and public sectors, became a social and political imperative in higher education research. Research on higher education attracted serious scholars. Federal and unitary systems present distinct differences in the promotion of research, the process of policy-making, and the relationship between them. Research and policy making in federal systems turn on the distribution of responsibility and funding between the federal and state government, and no two federal systems are alike. With respect to research and policy making in higher education and the university, the fundamental ideas of academic freedom, faculty control of the academic programs, and the autonomy of institutions represent constraints and conditions of primary importance. The special nature of academic institutions that emphasize academic freedom and university autonomy requires the involvement of faculty and administration in support of both research and policy making. Different social values and systems of governance require that research and policy making should be in tune with the style and philosophy concerned.