Student power in a global perspective and contemporary trends in student organising

Abstract

Students, if organised into representative student governments or movements, can be a highly influential agency shaping higher education policy. This article introduces the Special Issue on student power in a global perspective, which addresses the question of how students are organised in different world regions and what role they play in higher education policymaking within universities or at the national level. The article discusses conceptual considerations in the study of student governments and movements and reviews the contemporary trends in student organising globally.

An experimental evaluation of an anti-corruption intervention among Ukrainian university students

“…For decades, students in different countries have been actively involved in demanding reforms in higher education and beyond (Altbach 1966, 1979, 1981, 1989a, 1989b, 1989c, 1991, 1992, 2006, Klemencic 2014, which includes protests against corruption as recently witnessed for instance in Bulgaria (2013) and Ukraine (2004Ukraine ( , 2013 Klemencic 2014, Klemencic 2014). …”

University students’ unions: changing functions, a UK and comparative perspective

“…This SU activism and acquisition of left-wing/radical identities has been chronicled widely, for example at the London School of Economics (LSE) (Dahrendorf 1995) and Harvard (Keller and Keller 2007). Although the intensity of this activity diminished as the radical culture moderated from the mid-1970s onwards, SUs still campaign on such themes (Klemencic 2014).…”

Inequalities in students’ union leadership: the role of social networks

“…Despite allegations of political disengagement and apathy on the part of the young, the last five years have witnessed a considerable degree of political activity by young people, and much of it has been led by students -for example, protests against tuition fees, public funding cuts, and the privatisation of higher education, or as part of the Occupy movement (Sukarieh and Tannock, 2015). Such activity has been evident across the globe although, as Klemenčič (2014) notes, its impact has varied significantly, depending on wider cultural and political norms. Although the role of students' unions remains an under-researched area, within the UK at least, Crossley and Ibrahim (2012) have conducted important work on the relationship between students' unions and social networks within higher education institutions (HEIs).…”