In 1980, during the military government (1973-1990), a profound transformation of the higher education (HE) system began. This change involved establishing a market to stimulate competition between... Show moreIn 1980, during the military government (1973-1990), a profound transformation of the higher education (HE) system began. This change involved establishing a market to stimulate competition between different institutions and encourage private entities to provide higher education. This reform took shape through new legislation that established the freedom to create and maintain higher education institutions (HEIs), with only a few prerequisites to be fulfilled to enter the market - filing an act of constitution, offering at least one degree course and being granted political permission from the Ministry of Interior. In addition, it created a new financing scheme for HEIs, which established that private institutions created from 1980 onwards could not receive direct fiscal support from the state and had to finance their activities by charging tuition fees. Likewise, state universities - and private ones created prior to 1980 - that until then had received direct support from the state had to start charging tuition fees from then on, forcing their students to ask for loans from the state itself.By the end of the 1980s, 22 new independent private universities (IPUs) had been created. These came to form part of the national HE system, together with state universities and private ones that had existed prior to 1980. There are currently 29 IPUs, which account for more than 50 percent of Chilean university enrolment. If enrolment in private universities that existed before 1980 and in non-university HE institutions is added to this, Chile today has an 84 percent rate of enrolment in private institutions, one of the highest in the world. Therefore, Chile after 1980 has become an early case study for the private transformation of HE, driven by the military dictatorship and the result of the neoliberal policies enforced by the Pinochet government.Talking about new universities might seem like a contradiction. In fact, such is the importance of tradition and centuries-long history at universities that no HE entrepreneur can escape this reality. Given that they cannot ignore this institutional ideal or standard, new Chilean universities founded after 1980 have ended up imitating the traditional university model. A deep current of mimetic isomorphism runs through the history of universities, something that is clearly seen in Chile.It is therefore relevant to question the decisions that the IPUs that have become high- functioning institutions in Chile have taken in what has been a complex environment. For example, they have set up efficient governing bodies to achieve their individual aims and have organised themselves efficiently to fulfil both their academic and their sustainable307business models. As a result, this has led to new universities obtaining recognition (accreditation) from the public body that regulates them, as well as prestige or a good reputation (seen though high positions in Chilean or international rankings).To answer this question, this study analyses the trajectory of a number of successful Chilean IPUs. It uses the theory of the life cycle of organisations in a model that has three stages: (a) creation and formation, (b) formalisation and coordination and (c) consolidation and organisational effectiveness. The general aim of this study is to analyse the decisions taken and practices implemented by these IPUs, which have turned them into high-performing institutions. Show less
This research focuses on the relationship between higher education and the world of work to situate and examine dynamics of change and organizational adaptation of Chilean universities through the... Show moreThis research focuses on the relationship between higher education and the world of work to situate and examine dynamics of change and organizational adaptation of Chilean universities through the development of new management capacities associated with a global employability agenda.To this end, the emergence and spread of employability as a concept, practice and political instrument in higher education worldwide was analysed. The Chilean case was looked into as an iconic example of the economic transformations that the global university sector is currently experimenting. A detailed empiric examination of the main aspects of the discourses on employability in Chile was carried out. The national scenario was described in terms of the insertion and functioning of new management capacities to boost employability at universities. Finally, the origin, development and status of these organisational capacities in relation to the evolution of the formal structure of said organisations was studied in depth.The results allow for the visualisation of significant effects of pressures that comes from universities’ institutional environments. At the same time, it reveals ways in which market disputes become opaque and are ideologically neutralised under the blanket of supposedly shared global aspirations, such as what occurs with the employability agenda. Show less
The current debate on public education policy in Chile is focused on the idea of education as a social right. This has increasingly led to the rejection of the market model, imposed during the... Show moreThe current debate on public education policy in Chile is focused on the idea of education as a social right. This has increasingly led to the rejection of the market model, imposed during the military dictatorship (1973-1990). The programme of President Michelle Bachelet’s government (2014-2018) put the aims of free and inclusive education, the end of profiting from educational establishments and the strengthening of state education at the centre of its agenda. For many –politicians, academics and students– the idea was to bring back the ‘Teaching State’ that inspired the Republic’s educational policies up to the military coup. Much has been written in the last few years about the problems of Chilean higher education from a market point of view; the influence of neoliberal ideology on educational segregation and even the interference of economic interests and aiming to profit from the governance and management of higher education institutions. However, a history of Chilean higher education from an institutional point of view –showing the breakdown and continuity of the system’s regulations and state policy and including the public and private sector, through different constitutional cycles up to the present day– has not been written. This thesis aims to fill that gap. Show less
Higher education in Chile is currently characterised by widespread growth and a heterogeneous student body, as well as a prevalance of quality assurance mechanisms. In this context, university... Show moreHigher education in Chile is currently characterised by widespread growth and a heterogeneous student body, as well as a prevalance of quality assurance mechanisms. In this context, university teaching has become a strategic priority in the achieving of these aims. For this reason, different institutions have implemented teacher training programmes for their staff, with the aim of improving educational practices. However, there is little evidence about the impact of this training on educational improvements and even less about it on student learning. Show less
