Organizational Change in Higher Education Ministries in Light of Agencification
Comparing Austria and Norway
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12223267 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Philipp Emanuel Friedrich (0000-0002-8561-572X, University of Oslo, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2019 |
| Volume | 34 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 664-684 |
| Publication date | 2019-07-10 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Higher Education Policy (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0952-8733 • E-ISSN: 1740-3863 |
| Publisher | Palgrave Macmillan (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1057/s41307-019-00157-x |
| OpenAlex | W2962023912 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 29 |
This article examines organizational change in national ministries responsible for higher education in light of public sector reforms. The article suggests an analytical framework based on authority/autonomy and capacity developments, paying special attention to the creation of agencies. Empirically, this is exemplified by two cases: the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science, and Research, and the Ministry of Education and Research in Norway, each in relation to two subordinate agencies. Both ministries initiated structural governance reforms for their national higher education systems in the early 2000s. The results of this study indicate that although similar intentions were driving the reforms in both countries, the way in which the ministries transformed was somewhat different. In Austria, the reduction in ministerial capacity, an absent agency structure, and increased institutional autonomy might have created a potential policy vacuum in system-level governance right after the new higher education law was introduced in 2002. In Norway, ministerial capacity remained stable, while central agencies experienced substantial capacity growth and influence
Agency (philosophy · Autonomy · Christian ministry · Corporate governance · Economic growth · Economics · Education policy · Higher education · Higher education policy · Management · Managerialism · Organizational change · Political science · Public relations · Social science · Sociology · Higher Education Governance and Development · Law · Policy Transfer and Learning · Public Administration · Public Policy and Administration Research
Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance
The Problem-solving Capacity of the Modern State
Policy Capacity and Governance
Autonomy and Regulation
New Public Management in Europe
Government Agencies
Success and Failure in Public Governance
Organization Theory and the Public Sector
Trends in Global Higher Education
Administrative Traditions in Comparative Perspective
The steering of higher education systems
Ministries and Agencies
European Integration and the Governance of Higher Education and Research
Quasi Strategy
Unexplored aspects of bureaucratic autonomy
What Is Governance
Political Leadership and Bureaucratic Autonomy
Regulatory Agencies—The Challenges of Balancing Agency Autonomy and Political Control
Selecting Cases for Intensive Analysis
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |