Book Review: Research Handbook on Academic Careers and Managing Academics

Abstract

The Research Handbook on Academic Careers and Managing Academics is a signi fi cant book that investigates the nature of academic work, academic career development and the management of academics in the changing context of higher education. The book makes three main contributions to higher education research. First, it highlights and illustrates the major changes in the context of higher education that affect the academic work today. Second, it provides a thorough and comprehensive analysis of micro-to macro-level changes in the academic profession, covering a wide geographic area including Argentina, Chile, China, Finland, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom, and United States. Third, it is one of only few efforts to cover the perspectives of aging and gender in understanding academics ’ development and management. The book is written as a rigorous academic study, including 29 chapters divided into seven parts. Part I (chapters two to fi ve) reveals major changes in higher education for the development and management of the academic profession, covering changes of political economy, the di-versi fi cation and strati fi cation of higher education, growing emphasis on the third mission of higher education, and shifts from collegial to managerial forms of university leadership. Part II (chapters six to 11) examines boundaries around de fi ning “ academics ” and “ professionals ” and discusses the distinct roles of academics in the changing context of higher education at system and institutional levels. This part draws our attention to the new categories of professionals, new forms of academic work, and new conditions for professionals (e.g.,