Biographies and Careers throughout Academic Life

The book draws on the 2007 ChangingAcademic Profession international survey in order to document the personalcharacteristics, career trajectories, sense of identity/commitment and jobsatisfaction of academics in 14 countries with different levels of economic andsocial development and different higher education systems. With nearly 26,000academics surveyed in 19 countries (of which 14 are reporting their results inthis volume), the empirical basis of the book is the most up-to-date andfar-reaching in the area.With major changes taking place both in thelocal and global contexts of higher education and in the working conditionswithin individual universities, as exemplified by increasing managerialism andperformance-based funding, it is important to consider the impact of thesechanges on the profiles and working lives of the academic profession acrossdifferent countries. But it is also important to look at the ways in which thefaculty's changing profile impacts on the organisation and management ofuniversities and on the delivery of their central functions.Although not always obvious in theshort-term, academic work and its conditions attract, incorporate and promotedifferent types of individuals who, in turn, exert considerable influence onthe nature of academic work, higher education institutions and, potentially,society. As faculty members are central to the teaching, research and serviceenterprise activities of higher education, it is important to understand theirpersonal characteristics, career trajectories, sense of identity andcommitment, and job satisfaction. These are central for understanding theacademic profession in general and, in particular, the factors affecting theirinvolvement and productivity in the work of their institutions. These are acomplex result of a mixture of contextual factors (e.g. the status andregulatory framework of the higher education system, the features andatmosphere of the particular institution) and personal factors (e.g. gender,educational attainment, family background, attitudes to work and broader socialvalues).This book examines the different situations facing the academicprofession in individual countries and provides comparative studies of countrydifferences.