Nordic Fields of Higher Education Structures and Transformations of Organization and Recruitment, 1985-2015 (NFHE) A NordForsk Project  

Studies Study I: The Nordic Model of Higher Education Study II: The Nordic Fields of Higher Education

Five national research sites The research unit Sociology of Education and Culture (SEC) at Uppsala University, The Nordic Institute for Studies in Innovation, Research and Education (NIFU) in Oslo, The Centre for the Study of Professions (CSP) at Oslo University College, The Research Unit for the Sociology of Education (RUSE), University of Turku, The Centre for Stratification Research, the Department of Sociology, Copenhagen University.

A Nordic model… A Nordic model of higher education established during the second half of the 20th century Characterized by largely publicly-owned systems, relatively closely regulated by the state, include high levels of public funding and no or low student fees, and have strong influences from egalitarian traditions Higher education also an important pillar in the welfare system, the emphasis on broad and equal access, and educating the professionals of the welfare state There is much evidence suggesting that a special model for higher education has developed in the Nordic countries during the second half of the twentieth century. This model is characterized by largely publicly-owned systems, which are relatively closely regulated by the state, include high levels of public funding and no or low student fees, and have strong influences from egalitarian traditions. In such models, higher education has also been seen as an important pillar in the welfare system, not only through the emphasis on broad and equal access, but also by educating the professionals needed for the development of the welfare state.

… going through rapid transformations… Substantial expansion of the systems, rising number of students, new institutions, new educational programmes and subjects, etc., Restructuring of the system according to the Bologna-process, new degree structure, stronger emphasis on employability, more streamlined with external demands Internationalisation increasingly integrated part of the national systems The systems have been transformed from cohesive and standardized systems, administered largely within the state, into more diverse and complex landscapes. During the last three decades the higher education systems in the Nordic countries have undergone important changes. The Bologna process has been implemented, although time tables and the degrees of adjustments have varied. The number of students has increased drastically and this has also involved the establishment of new institutions. Internationalization has become a more integrated part of the national systems and an increased emphasis on efficiency, competition and market orientation has been apparent. In short, the systems appear to have been transformed from cohesive and standardized systems, administered largely within the state, into more diverse and complex national and international higher education landscapes.

… and now contested? The specificity of the Nordic systems now challenged in different ways: Lesser emphasis on broadened recruitment and equal access A shift from the need of the welfare state to the demands of the private sector More market orientation and solutions, adjustment to international models of higher education, decreasing autonomy of the professionals in the system

Recruitment patterns Recruitment patterns offer a key to understanding the effects of restructuring in national systems of higher education, as changes in recruitment patterns over time provide us with indicators of changing valorizations of higher education programs, fields and types of study, and institutions. Analyzing recruitment patterns also makes it possible to evaluate the function of higher education in relation to the welfare state, evidencing the role it plays in democratic goals related to equity.

Nordic Comparisons The project will compare recruitment patterns across four countries: Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden; as well as comparing between several disciplines and higher education institutions within each country. Under-utilized and unique statistical resources that exist in the Nordic countries will provide robust data for analyses of the whole population of students in each country, and investigations of structural changes over the last three decades.

Aim The primary aim of the project is to produce new knowledge about the structures of the Nordic fields of higher education and their transformations, through studies of Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland, with regard to: Organization: the state of the Nordic model of higher education in light of rapid transformations of the global higher education landscape; Recruitment: a comparison of recruitment patterns in the fields of higher education; and, The relationship between recruitment patterns and the organization of higher education.

Theory Neo-institutional theory used to understand transformations of the organization and steering of higher education systems. The sociological tradition of Pierre Bourdieu with notions of fields, capital and strategies are used in order to understand the social structure of the national educational fields.

Publication and dissemination Book in English Articles on different topics in a variety of journals Conference Oslo 8-9 October 2014