European and American University Since 1800

Universities are said to be the "powerhouses" of modern society. They educate our leaders and advance our basic knowledge of nature and society. The essays in this book discuss how universities work, and have worked, in relation to other parts of the higher education "system" and in the context of their historical development. The authors are particularly interested in "complexity" as it affects universities, the professions and government, and exercise comparative analysis in assessing the functioning, the success and the significance of universities.