Academic Staff in Europe

Book excerpt: Higher education is going through a turbulent period of change. Based on a research project coordinated by J^Durgen Enders at the University of Kassel in Germany, the book highlights the changes taking place in higher education and examines the working conditions of academic staff in fourteen European countries. All countries in the study have seen changes regarding the actors and procedures relevant for the regulation of the employment relationships of academic staff. Academic staff are higher education's most important asset and most costly resource. Employment and working conditions of academic staff are, therefore, not only influenced by these developments but seen as an important tool for adaptation to the new circumstances higher education faces. Thus it is not only of interest to demonstrate and compare variations across and within countries, but also to analyze the outcomes of the changing academic environment on the academic labor market and the conditions of working life.