University Reform in Spain: New Structures for Autonomy and Accountability

Abstract

Since the death of Francisco Franco in 1975, Spain has achieved a largely peaceful and orderly transition from dictatorship to democracy.' Article 27 of the 1978 Constitution grants autonomy to the universities, under terms to be laid down by law.2 In August 1983, the Cortes enacted the Law for University Reform (LRU), one of the first major public policy initiatives of the Socialist government that had assumed power 9 months earlier, following their decisive victory in the national parliamentary elections.3 My purpose in this article is to assess the LRU and the Socialists' efforts to utilize the constitutional mandate to define university autonomy as an opportunity to establish the basic legal framework for comprehensive reform of Spanish higher education. The Socialists want to increase the autonomy of the universities and strengthen their accountability to Spanish society. The balance struck in the LRU between the powerful and often conflicting values of autonomy and accountability must be seen not only in the context of Spanish university traditions but also in the light of post-1975 efforts to redefine Spain's entire political system.4 The authoritarian and highly centralized mechanisms of the Franco government, rooted in the concept of a rigidly monolithic nation-state, are being supplanted by democratic and decentralized structures that reflect the values of a heterogeneous and pluralistic society. Pursuant to its new constitution, Spain now consists of a national government in Madrid and 19 new regional governments, called autonomous communities. They represent both deep-rooted ethnic and cultural traditions, such as in the Basque Country and Catalonia, as well as completely