Higher Education in Scandinavia: A Case Study

Higher education systems around the world have been undergoing fundamental changes through the last 50 years from more narrow self-sustaining universities for the elite and into mass universities, where new groups of students have been recruited and the number of students enrolled has increased dramatically. In adjusting to the role of being a mass educational institution, universities have been challenged on how to cope with external pressures, such as forces of globalization and international markets, increased national and international competition for students and research grants, increased pressure to become more efficient economically and regarding students’ length of studies. These pressures can be seen as expressions of national policy changes from more democratic governance towards new public management principles. The chapter examines to what extent the democratic tradition has had an impact on the educational systems in Scandinavia, and what possible futures can be envisioned?