R epresentation Manja Klemenčič Department of Sociology Faculty of Arts and Sciences Harvard University African Minds Symposium and Authors Workshop Student representation in Higher Education Governance in Africa ID: 710638
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Slide1
An International Perspective on Student Representation
Manja KlemenčičDepartment of Sociology, Faculty of Arts and SciencesHarvard University
African Minds Symposium and Authors’ Workshop
“Student representation in Higher Education Governance in Africa”
Capetown, South Africa, 21 August 2014Slide2
I Definitions -
student representative associations - differences between student representation, student activism, student movements
II Student representation on national/regional level in democracies
- a typology of national student associations - a typology of national systems of student representation - a typology of national systems of student interest intermediationIII Student representation in institutional governance - a typology of student representative bodies within higher education institutions - a typology of institutional systems of student representation - autonomy of student representative associations - legitimacy of student representative associations IV Theories of change of student representation in higher education governance
Topics addressedSlide3
Student
representative associations
– student unions, councils, guilds, bodies, parliaments, governments – are those whose primary aim is to represent and defend the interests of the collective student body. They organize, aggregate and intermediate student interests, provide services for students and organize student activities. They operate on different levels of HE governance: from the sub-institutional, institutional, regional, national to supranational level.Why we study them? - students the primary constituency in HE, crucial for understanding HE governance (Luescher-Mamashela 2013; Klemenčič 2012)- historical presence and extensive activity (Klemenčič 2012; 2014)- interest groups crucial to understanding functioning of advanced democracies (Eising 2008)- the role of interest groups in policy processes increasing (Falkner 2000; Beyers et al.
2008)
I Definition of student representative associationsSlide4
Student representation
– student membership in collective
organizations within higher education institutions and national systems, organized for the purpose of representing the interests of students; formal and typically institutionalized form of student organizing. Student activism – student mobilization in protests or other social movements with a particular grievance of student, higher education or broader societal relevance; participation of individual students, groups of students and/or student organisations in a group action which is typically loose, non-hierarchical and not institutionalized. Student movement – is a broad term for the development of a collective organization of students, to represent student interests and campaign for
better study conditions and social welfare conditions of students.
I Differentiating between between student representation, student activism and student
movementsSlide5
1. How students as collective body are organised
at the level of national higher education governance, i.e. in relation to the government, parliament and higher education stakeholders? –
a spectrum between two ideal organizational types of national (regional) student associations2. How student interests are aggregated, articulated and intermediated into public policy making? – different types of national systems of student representation and national systems of student interest intermediation
3.
How can we explain change in organisations and systems of student representation at national level?
II Student Representation on the National (and/or Regional) Level Slide6
A typology of national student associations
As social movement organisations
As interest groups
Organisational
structure
Network-like; loosely integrated; limited functional differentiation
Hierarchically ordered with strong centralised coordination; highly functionally
differentiated
Internal Resources
Fluctuating administrative funding; volunteers
Secure administrative funding; professionalised administration Political agendaTransversal: next to sectorial also a strong focus on broader political issuesPredominantly sectorial: organisation, substance and processes of HE and student welfareMode of actionNon-institutionalised forms of claim-making: protests, boycotts, campaignsLobbying and political advocacy, provide services OutputsMobilisation capacity, expertise and informationRepresentativeness, expertise and information, implementation capacityExamples from Africa???
6Slide7
A typology of national systems of student
representation in democracies
Neo-corporatist
Pluralist
Number of intermediary associations
Limited: possibly functionally complementary or territorially differentiated
Unspecified: identical functions are performed by several in competition; domains of action are decided without regard to other associations; no association can exercise hierarchical control over others
Relationship to the state
Formally or informally grants monopoly of student interest intermediation. Often accompanied with secure administrative funding.
No association has monopoly of intermediation. Administrative and funding arrangement can exist, but on a competitive basis.
7Slide8
A typology of national systems of student interest
intermediation in democracies
Formalised
Informal
Relational structures
to
public authorities
Stipulated in legislation:
Institutionalised representational structures (e.g. within HE Council or accreditation body); written rules governing consultation procedures or meetings with the Ministry
Informal, ad hoc or needs-based
practices: informal consultations and seminars; representation on non-permanent working groups; informal contacts with Ministry officials, members of Parliament, agencies or committeesRole in policy processesDecisive co-actorsExternal pressure group, experts8Slide9
A typology of national systems of student representation and student interest intermediation in Africa
Corporatist
Neo-corporatist
Pluralist
Statist
???
FORMALIZED
INFORMAL
FORMALIZED
INFORMAL
???
????????????9Slide10
1. How
are students
organised into representative student bodies in higher education institutions?2. How are student representatives involved in institutional governance? 3. How autonomous are student representative bodies at higher education institutions? Are student representative bodies perceived legitimate?
4.
How can we explain change in organisations and systems of student representation within university governance?
III Student Representation in Institutional GovernanceSlide11
A typology of
student representative bodies within higher education institutions
Union-type
Council-type
Legal
status
Independent legal entity
Integrated into institutional governance structure
Organisational resources
Paid employees and elected officials (volunteers)
Elected officials (volunteers)MembershipAutomatic, mandatory or voluntaryAutomatic, mandatory or voluntaryFundingMembership fees, government grants and other external funding sourcesFrom institutional budget (membership fees), but limited access to external fundingPolitical agendaStudent social welfare; organisation, substance and processes of higher education; and student lifeOrganisation, substance and processes of higher education; student welfare; and student lifeMode of actionStudent services and facilities; co-determinism and consultationCo-determinism (Mitbestimmung), consultation, student services11Slide12
A typology of
systems of student
representation in institutional governance
Codetermination (Mitbestimmung)
Consultation
Representational
structures in institutional governance
Students are
represented
in key governing bodies (senate, board of overseers, etc.), at different levels of institutional governance. Institutionalised representational structures and rules governing participation of student representatives in decision-making are stipulated in legislation and/or statutory documents.
Informal, ad hoc or needs-based
practices of consulting student representatives: informal consultations and seminars; representation on ad hoc working groups or committees. Structures and rules governing consultation procedures may be stipulated in legislation and/or statutory documents or such provisions are absent and depend on informal arrangements.Role in decision-makingVoting rights (a proportion of all voting members) on all or some decision issues.A right to observe, comment, provide input, but no voting rights.Student representativesStudent representatives comes from the one recognized student representational body.Student consultants come from representative student body or other student groups (e.g. sectorial organisations, such as AIESEC).12Slide13
Autonomy of representative
student associations
Decision-making competences
(ability to act)Independence (freedom from constraints)
Policy
autonomy: ability to decide on own political and professional agenda.
Legal autonomy
: legal status of the body/organisation.Governance autonomy: ability to decide on internal structures and processes.Financial autonomy: dependency on funding from the higher education institution (or government); access to external funding sources; membership fee regime.
Managerial autonomy
: discretion over financial matters, hiring personnel and other resources (e.g. facilities).
Symbolic
autonomy: dependency on (for acquiring symbolic capital/positional goods) or close ties to political parties, trade unions, etc. 13Slide14
Legitimacy of representative
student associations
Internal legitimacyAs student association’s worthiness to be recognized as a representative structure of students by the students (i.e. the student body) of the higher education institution [or in case of national associations by students within national higher education systems].
External legitimacy
As student association’s worthiness to be recognized as a representative structure of students
by the
(governing and managerial representatives of the) higher education institution and other stakeholders [or in the case of national associations by public authorities and other national-level stakeholders].
Focus
Perceived ability to represent effectively and truthfully student interests and foster student interests in relation to the institutional leadership, public authorities and other stakeholders.
Perceived ability to competently engage in decision processes and perform representational functions.
CriteriaGood governance, structural and procedural democracy, openness to all students, symbolic autonomy, expertize, trustworthiness.Representativity, good governance, expertize, efficiency, professionalism, constructiveness. 14Slide15
What changes:
- organizational culture, structures, practices (professionalisation)
-
systems of student representation and interest intermediation- influence on decision making (positional power, symbolic capital, …)Theoretical frameworks for studying change in student representation:- Rationalist: interested actors take advantage of changing opportunity structures and follow resource dependencies (resource dependency theory)- Constructivist: socialisation and social learning- Neo-institutionalist: structural embeddedness in existing institutions, practices and traditions mediates and conditions the impact of external drivers
-
Cultural: power relations, attitudes to authority, public attitudes to students- Diffusion: diffusion of ideas through international collaboration, developmental aid, the role of supranational structures and processes, international organisations, donor agencies
IV Theories of changeSlide16
Thank you!
Contact: manjaklemencic@fas.harvard.eduReferences:
KLEMENČIČ
, M. (2014). Student power in a global perspective and contemporary trends in student organising. Studies in Higher Education 39(3) 2014: 396-411.KLEMENČIČ, M. (2012). Student Representation in Western Europe: introduction to the special issue. European Journal of Higher Education 2(1) 2012: 2-19.