This paper describes the current state of governance and reforms of Indonesia's higher education system. It seeks to identify the impact of and the constraints on the national higher education reform agenda with respect to institutional autonomy for public universities. Under the prevailing government regulations, 11 public universities have been…

Over the past 25 years, a small but growing number of school districts have implemented weighted student funding (WSF) systems as a way to increase school-level autonomy and more equitably distribute resources among schools. In these districts, which are predominantly large urban school systems, education leaders have implemented policies that…

Some of the most promising reforms are happening where school leaders are thinking differently about how to get the strongest student outcomes from the limited resources available. But even principals who use their autonomy to aggressively reallocate resources say that persistent district, state, and federal barriers prohibit them from doing more.…

As state tax revenues plummet, some lawmakers and higher-education leaders are once again looking at loosening the bonds between state governments and public colleges to save money and give colleges the freedom to bolster their bottom lines in new ways. Over the past two decades, college officials have often lamented the growing need to secure…

The legal terrain regarding institutions' rights for use of major charitable gifts has clarified somewhat in recent months. While this may encourage institutional fundraisers, it is also clear that extreme care still must be taken about the acceptance and terms set for use of transformational gifts. As recent lawsuits demonstrate, careful planning…

This article examines the challenges faced by a Portuguese technical university that is striving to develop its research base within a developing science, technology and higher education system. The paper identifies lack of resources, and also organizational factors, as particular challenges. These include faculty inbreeding, career structures and…

There has developed moderate discussion in European higher education about the use of performance indicators for both accountability and evaluation purposes. This paper begins by summarizing governmental expectations, institutional objections, and several of the controversies surrounding performance measures. We then report on using performance…

This paper discusses resource allocation at the school level, concentrating particularly on school-based budgeting. School-based budgeting is a process calling for preparation and administration of a budget for the allocation of the individual school's resources by the school principal, usually in consultation with staff and parents. The paper…

Discusses effects of British methods of resource allocation to the colonial universities on the methods used by the successor states, primarily for Ghana and Nigeria, in terms of the national governments' announced intentions and beliefs. Concludes that although the West African systems are similar to the British system, they are very much local…

The greatest challenge for institutions of higher education in most OECD countries since the 1970s has arguably been to cope with reduced public support. Many institutions responded to reductions in funding, first, by cutting costs and lobbying governments to reverse cutbacks, and then--when it became clear that funding levels would not be…

"IMHE-Info" is the newsletter published by the Institutional Management in Higher Education (IMHE) programme of OECD. This issue includes: (1) Tertiary Education for the Knowledge Society; (2) The Assessment of Higher Education Learning Outcomes (AHELO); and (3) City-Regions in Focus. Publications of interest, IMHE News, and a calendar…

The system for financing higher education in West Germany is outlined, including the principles, organization, and procedures for resource allocation, state and university responsibilities, institutional governance and the roles of individuals and groups at various levels of governance, and institutional procedures for budgeting and auditing. (MSE)

France's statutory requirements for continuing education and the University of Paris' solutions are described. Results of 10 years' experience as an autonomous system are discussed, including pros and cons of fiscal and program autonomy and problems presented by the university's increasing interest in the continuing education market. (Author/MSE)

The evolution of higher education's relationship with the state in Sri Lanka since 1921 is chronicled, focusing on the roles and changes of the state coordinating agencies, first the National Council of Higher Education and later the University Grants Commission. The issue of institutional autonomy throughout this history is also discussed. (MSE)

The modern role of New Zealand's University Grants Committee (UGC) in relation to universities and the Department of Education is examined, with emphasis on the historical and political factors resulting in the demise of the University of New Zealand and bringing the UGC into being. Recent loss of some autonomy as a result of financial exigency is…