The Changing Dynamics of Higher Education Middle Management Introduction

Abstract

This chapter provides a theoretical framework for the comparative analysis of changes to the middle management of higher education. The chapter reviews the literature on the deanship as an object of scholarly analysis and the rise of New Public Management and managerialism in higher education. This discussion is set within the broader context of the higher education reform agenda that is taking place across all OECD nations. The chapter poses a number of broad heuristic questions that are addressed by the country-specific studies.