University autonomy: government to forge ahead with probe

Sweden’s minister for education Johan Pehrson indicated that a government investigation into the independence of the country’s universities is to go ahead despite some recent pressure exerted from opposing political parties, the Social Democrats and Sweden Democrats.

Pehrson – who had responsibility for higher education and has since been succeeded on 28 June – told Universitetsläraren magazine that the investigation is necessary because academic freedom in Sweden needs to be strengthened. It is a potential problem, he argued, that higher education institutions are legally government agencies.

“This arrangement limits the independence of the higher education institutions; among other things, the government appoints the rector of the institutions, they have limited economic freedom and higher education institutions cannot own real estate.

“The investigation to establish whether this structure is appropriate is important in order to find out if the conditions for future research and higher education can be improved,” he said.

As reported by University World News, the Social Democrats and the Sweden Democrats, in an unlikely alliance, voted down the government’s proposal for a reorganisation of the relationship between the government and higher education institutions on 12 June.

Trump in Sweden

Pehrson said it was conspicuous that the Social Democratic Party and the Sweden Democrats, which occupy different positions on the political spectrum, had joined forces to stop the investigation.

“They are defending a system whereby the government can interfere in the selection of Swedish rectors and decide on the universities’ budget. It looks as if Trump has got his followers in Sweden’s parliamentary committee for education,” he said.

“At the same time, I am not astonished over the Social Democrats and the Sweden Democrats having the same view on the government as the main force in higher education since both have an admiration for strong central governance. When ideological blinkers are governing, it is difficult to protect free research,” he said.

Ongoing debate

Since the decision taken by the parliamentary committee and the minister’s announcement on the continuation of the investigation into academic freedom and the decoupling of academia from the state, several university associations, student organisations, highly ranked university officers and others have come forward with their views.

It culminated in a grand meeting of academia and society during Almedalen Week.

The meeting, titled “How do we strengthen academic freedom?”, was organised by the Swedish Association of University Teachers and Researchers (SULF), the National Union of Students (SFS), the Association of Swedish Higher Education Institutions (SUHF) and the Young Academy of Sweden.

Sanna Wolk, president of SULF, said: "With regard to the political governance [of universities] the Swedish system is as exposed as the Turkish, where the government has fired all vice-chancellors and substituted them with people who are loyal to the government. With the wrong government, this could also happen here."

In Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet on 12 June, Hans Adolfsson, rector of Stockholm University and the chair of SUHF; Malin Broberg, rector of Göteborgs University; and Erik Renström, rector of Lund University (the latter two are both vice-chairs of SUHF), published an op-ed article, headlined “Swedish higher education institutions are standing much too close to the state”, in which they wrote: “Universities and university colleges should be given increased independence and protection of academic freedom. There is a worrisome naivety among parts of the parliament.”

In a column that appeared in Sydsvenskan on 9 June, Olle Risberg, David Karlander, David Marlevi, Gabriele Messori, Andreas Nord, Ruth Pöttgen and Elham Rostami, all of whom are members of the Young Academy of Sweden, jointly argued that continued political control was harmful for Swedish research and higher education.

“An investigation into the association between higher education institutions and the state – and by this also their form of governance – is the first step to strengthen the protection of academic freedom. This should strengthen Swedish democracy and promote excellent research and higher education,” the authors wrote.

Meanwhile, the Swedish Higher Education Authority (UKA) published a 55-page report commissioned by the government containing the findings of investigations into the relationship between the government and higher education institutions in Sweden, with comparative chapters on Denmark, Finland, Norway and Iceland, creating a systematic overview of governance reforms and reform proposals since the 1990s.

Constitutional protection

On 12 June National Union of Students chairperson Topias Tolonen- Weckström posted a blog on the issue, headlined “Academic freedom of doctoral students in Sweden”, while SULF and 11 other unions on 19 June published a “Motion for strengthened constitutional protection for academic freedom”.

In a later statement on 28 June, the SFS responded to the appointment of Lotta Edholm as the new Minister for Secondary Schools, Higher Education and Research – the third such minister appointed in the last year – by saying: “We want to send our warm congratulations to the new minister, but at the same time we want to ask her to defend academic freedom and to have this protected by the constitution.”

SFS added: “Academic freedom is challenged, both abroad and in Sweden ... The freedom of higher education today lacks protection in the constitution – this is not fair.” This argument is developed more fully in a letter sent by SFS to the ministry concerning the investigation into university autonomy.

In a comment to University World News, SFS president Rasmus Lindstedt said: “We continue to be concerned with the challenges posed to academic freedom in Sweden. Political parties have been clear about their intentions to steer academia, and Sweden’s second largest party, the Sweden Democrats, less than six months ago threatened to cut funding to a university, alleging they are too ‘woke’.

“It is imperative that Swedish political actors begin respecting academia's right to self-determination and academic freedom. Universities must be able to conduct education and research freely. The government must take action to safeguard academic freedom and, in that work, include students as stakeholders whose academic freedom deserves to be protected,” Lindstedt said.

Alternative organisational forms

Meanwhile, Professor Gabriele Messori, president of the Young Academy of Sweden, told University World News that the current status of the vast majority of Swedish universities as government agencies “does not recognise the unique functions and characteristics that a university possesses”.

Messori noted: “This form also leaves the universities vulnerable to political influence. Alternative organisational forms could offer stronger protection for the universities' academic freedom.

For example, both courts of justice and public service broadcasting in Sweden have a special status intended to protect their independence and could be taken as a model.”

Asked whether he believed the government’s investigation would likely proceed, Professor Daniel Tarschys, emeritus professor at Stockholm University and lead author of a government investigation into the independence of universities published in 2008 that was widely discussed but ultimately shelved, said pursuit of the matter was “very much called for”.

“I have no contact with the government but note that they seem interested in pursuing this matter further. That I think is very much called for.

The present institutional model in Sweden is potentially dangerous should a government come to power with greater ambitions to interfere in the academic sphere. “Vestigia terrent [The footprints frighten me – Horace] ... There are numerous examples of such governments both east and west,” he said.