Academic leaders’ compensation policy in the higher education system under reform
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26485/SPE/2021/121/18Keywords:
public university, academic leaders’ compensation policy, higher education system reformsAbstract
Background: Reforms of higher education systems inspired by new public management ideas introduce the managerial logic of academic governance. The strong leadership of rectors, the university’s hierarchical power structures, and an emphasis on accountability are essential elements of the reform. One of the critical solutions used within this logic should be the academic leaders’ compensation policy based on the principle of “pay-per-performance”. The article presents the legislative solutions introduced in the amended Act on Higher Education and Science, and analyzes the amount and structure of remuneration of rectors of 34 public universities in Poland.
Research purpose: The article aims to evaluate the remuneration policy of rectors of Polish public universities.
Methods: The research methods used in the article are critical analysis of the literature and examination of source documents.
Conclusions: The obtained results show that a new legal straightjacket does allow the university councils to differentiate the total amount of compensation and its components. The councils do not make use of the statutory provision allowing for the linking of compensation to the degree of complexity of the tasks performed by the rector. The low transparency of remuneration procedures makes it impossible to assess the effectiveness of the compensation policy and its role in the university’s institutional strategy.
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