Adequate policies and unintended effects in Spanish higher education

Abstract

Recent developments in Spanish higher education have been very positive. Universities have become autonomous and are more in tune to regional needs, their internal structure has become flexible, the whole system has become open and accessible, funds have been poured into the system as never before and market forces have started to play a relevant role. Nevertheless, some perverse effects have begun to emerge. We will focus on some of these negative aspects that deserve deeper consideration: the inadequate adaptation to a mass higher education system, and the negative consequences of the collegial model for governing universities and of regionalization.