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  • © 2018

Universities and the Production of Elites

Discourses, Policies, and Strategies of Excellence and Stratification in Higher Education

Palgrave Macmillan
  • Explores the processes that produce elite universities and academic elites
  • Examines critically a range of discourses, strategies and policies employed by institutions to foster elitism
  • Draws on a range of international case studies from across North America, Europe, and Asia

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Global Higher Education (PSGHE)

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Table of contents (16 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xi
  2. Introduction: Universities and the Production of Elites

    • Roland Bloch, Alexander Mitterle, Catherine Paradeise, Tobias Peter
    Pages 1-29
  3. Setting Up Narratives and Rationales

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 31-31
  4. Organizing Competition through Incentives: New Policy Devices

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 173-173
  5. The Production of New Elites?

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 325-325

About this book

This book explores how universities as organizations influence and construct the production of academic elites and elitist institutions. It analyzes the role played by the reorganization of higher education (HE) institutions, stimulated by new performance-based narratives aimed at building attractiveness towards stakeholders such as governments, prospective employers, academics, and students. Based on American, European, and Asian case studies of HE systems and institutions considered at various scales, the volume analyzes the consequences of increasing competition between HE institutions which are facing challenges such as the internationalization of higher education supply, the shortage of public resources and the structural changes of labor market demands. It argues that policy discourses and tools, as well as assessment devices such as rankings and accreditation, incentivize HE institutions to develop positioning strategies that contribute to stratification and the production ofelites. It will be of great interest to students and researchers in the fields of higher education, sociology, and education policy.

Reviews

“All agree that the global expansion of the university is revolutionizing contemporary society, but to what end? Assembling leading intellectuals, Bloch, Mitterle, Paradeise, and Peter offer an unique and groundbreaking analysis of this transforming phenomenon coming to challenging new theoretical and empirical conclusions. Universities and the Production of Elites is one of the richest collections of essays on the future impact of the university to appear in some time.” (David P. Baker, Professor of Sociology, Education and Demography, Pennsylvania State University, USA)

Editors and Affiliations

  • Institute of Sociology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany

    Roland Bloch, Alexander Mitterle

  • Institute for Research and Innovation in Society, University Paris-Est Marne-la-Vallée, Champs-sur-Marne, France

    Catherine Paradeise

  • Institute of Sociology, Albert Ludwigs University Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany

    Tobias Peter

About the editors

Roland Bloch is a research associate at the Institute of Sociology and the Center for School and Educational Research at Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany.

Alexander Mitterle is a research associate at the Institute of Sociology and the Center for School and Educational Research at Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany.

Catherine Paradeise is a sociologist and Professor Emeritus at University Paris Est-LISIS, France.

Tobias Peter is a research associate at the Institute of Sociology at Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg, Germany.

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 159.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access