Academic career structures in Europe : Perspectives from Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, the Netherlands, Austria and the UK

Abstract

The higher education sector is increasingly important to society and national economies. Recruitment to academic positions, academic career prospects, and working conditions are critical issues in this regard. Importantly, academic career structures are characterised by different principles for organising academic careers which show distinct national variations. Currently the Norwegian academic career system is under discussion and the Ministry of Education and Research has appointed an expert committee (the Underdal committee) to consider the strengths and weaknesses of the Norwegian academic career system, whether changes are necessary, and to provide recommendations for improvement. The objective of this report is to provide a comparative knowledge basis for the Underdal committee.