Mergers in Higher Education

This book addresses the critical knowledge gaps of mergers involving higher education institutions. It is based on an on-going comparative research project (spring 2013-spring 2015) investigating the phenomena of mergers involving HE institutions across four Nordic countries - Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark. The study involves close to 30 scholars from the region, and it aims at shedding critical light on, and providing novel contributions around, the following key aspects: a) Conceptual and theoretical approaches - strengths and limitations - towards the study of the phenomena of mergers across various branches of the public sector (health, HE, local government, etc.); b) Historical developments, leading to significant structural changes in the domestic HE landscape, and, in turn, how mergers have been used as a policy/institutional mechanism or instrument to foster adaptation to a new external environment at the local, national, regional and international levels; c) The complex dynamics inherent to merger processes by undertaking an in-depth investigation of a series of selected case studies, with a particular focus on the "black-box" associated with the implementation process; d) The implications of the findings as regards future policy and strategic endeavours, theory development and future research agenda