Political Dynamics vs. Institutional Resilience: Global Evolution of Academic Freedom, 1902-2017

• In Event: Challenging Power in Education: Policy, Discourse, and Resistance in Local and Global Contexts

Abstract

This study is a comprehensive exploration of the global expansion and challenges of academic freedom from 1902 to 2017. By analyzing regime types, political transformations, and institutional factors, it highlights higher education institutions standing and resistance against political transformations. Utilizing a fixed-effects panel regression model and a dataset from 163 countries, the analysis reveals fluctuating patterns in academic freedom conditions over time, impacted by major historical events and geopolitical changes that is also highly dependent on national context. The findings expand on positive impact of democratic regimes on academic freedoms, autocratization episodes detrimentally affect it, yet association depends on the duration and strength of the event. Institutional autonomy and critical intellectual traditions serve as counterweights to political pressures, promoting resilience.

Author

• Zahra Jafarova, University of Toronto - OISE