The effects Justin postulates can certainly be found in British universities, but more powerful causes than the loss of tenure are at work. In particular, pay scales for academics in British universities have lagged even behind other public sector salaries, let alone the money to be made elsewhere. (After paying for rent, groceries, and so on, we had about two quid a week left over). "Assessment" has become such a bureaucratic nightmare that heads of department ar stuck doing little else than administrative work during their period in purgatory. The number of students in British universities has doubled over the last ten years or so with almost no increase in teaching staff. The result is that a few "entrepreneurs" who are extremely good at getting soft money have been able to insulate themselves from all other duties (the better for the department on the Research Assessment Exercise) while the rest struggle along on meager salaries and ever-heavier teaching and administ! ative loads. Not a few decide to try their chances across the pond, and the best students are no longer heading for doctoral programs at Oxbridg.
Michael McIntyre
JKS wrote, in part:
"Thatcher abolished tenure in the Brit university system, I believe. Is anyone aware of studies of the consequences? I would expect that a result would be that the number and (though this is hard to measure) quality of peoiple undertakinag academic careers would drip, there would be brain drain by more successful people, and the value of the reserach and teaching at the affected universities would drop."