Academic freedom in contemporary Britain: A cause for concern?

Abstract

Using comparable legal information, and empirical data from over 2000 members of the UK's University and College Union and 2000 staff in universities of the European states, gathered by means of similar surveys, this paper is a comparative assessment of the de jure protection for, and the de facto levels of, academic freedom enjoyed by academic staff in the UK, when compared to their EU counterparts. The paper examines the legal and constitutional protection for academic freedom and the current levels of, and changes to, the two substantive elements (freedom to teach and freedom to research) and three supportive components (autonomy, governance and tenure) of academic freedom. The study reveals that UK academic staff believe that there is a low level of protection for academic freedom and that it has declined, both in general, and with respect to the two substantive elements and three supportive components of academic freedom. Similar trends are evident in the EU states, but statistical tests reveal that for every measure utilised, the decline in academic freedom is significantly greater in the UK than in the EU states.

“Less USSR, more democracy please!”: Hope and discontent in Georgia's quest for academic freedom

“…Jungblut and colleagues (2020) argue that 'in some of the EHEA countries the adherence of fundamental values, e.g., with respect to academic freedom, has deteriorated instead of improved since 2010' (p. 185). One of the most recent studies on academic freedom in the UK reported the low protection of academic freedom, which has declined in recent years (Karran et al, 2021).…”

“…Jungblut and colleagues (2020) argue that ‘in some of the EHEA countries the adherence of fundamental values, e.g., with respect to academic freedom, has deteriorated instead of improved since 2010’ (p. 185). One of the most recent studies on academic freedom in the UK reported the low protection of academic freedom, which has declined in recent years (Karran et al., 2021). This echoes the 2020 report by V‐Dem scholars arguing that despite many self‐commitments by governments and universities, academic freedom is under attack in many places (Spannagel et al., 2020), indicating that the gap between the commitment and realisation of academic freedom principles is also evident beyond post‐Soviet systems.…”

A model to support the development of professional capital in trainee teachers: a constructivist grounded theory

“…While to many policymakers, performativity is an effective tool for bringing about change, holding teachers accountable and identifying high-performing educators, it is also commonly linked to the erosion of academic professional freedom for both students and academics (Ball, 2012). A comparative assessment of academic freedoms by Karran et al. (2022) revealed that two substantive elements (freedom to teach and freedom to research) and three supportive components (autonomy, governance and tenure) have declined within the UK and EU Member States, but are significantly greater in the UK within the neoliberal university of the twenty-first Century, and as a result, academic freedoms have markedly declined allowing such performative initiatives as the “Core Content Framework” to be implemented.…”

Akateeminen vapaus tutkimuskohteena - havaintoja Afrikasta

“…Vuonna 1997 Unesco määritteli akateemisen vapauden oikeudeksi, jota ei rajoiteta millään doktriinilla tai institutionaalisella sensuurilla ('IUPsyS -United Nations Activities ', 1998). Akateemista vapautta onkin kirjallisuudessa ansiokkaasti arvioitu yliopistojen autonomian perustuslaillisten, lainsäädännöllisten ja niiden omiin johtosääntöihin kirjattujen sääntöjen perusteella (Appiagyei-Atua et al, 2016;Karran et al, 2017;Karran & Mallinson, 2019). Esimerkiksi Suomessa tieteen, taiteen ja ylimmän opetuksen vapaus ja yliopistojen itsehallinto on turvattu perustuslaissa (16 § ja 123 §).…”

“…Akateeminen vapaus tukee opetuksen ja tutkimuksen laatua (Karran & Mallinson, 2019), mutta se on myös tärkeä arvo ja tavoite sinänsä. Vaarassa olevien tutkijoiden ja opettajien kohdalla akateeminen vapaus yhdistyy perustavanlaatuisiin ihmisoikeuksiin.…”