The role of Great Britain's Council for National Academic Awards in relation to other government agencies concerned with the quality of public colleges is discussed, and the public sector's course review process is compared to that of the universities. (Author/MSE)

The Israeli Planning and Grants Committee (PGC) was established in 1974 on the model of the British University Grants Committee, becoming the most powerful and dominant organization in higher education governance. Both government and universities will have to provide the framework of cooperation with the PGC to maintain its present position. (MSE)

Discusses effects of British methods of resource allocation to the colonial universities on the methods used by the successor states, primarily for Ghana and Nigeria, in terms of the national governments' announced intentions and beliefs. Concludes that although the West African systems are similar to the British system, they are very much local…

The Indian University Grants Commission, charged with regulating academic standards and disbursing government funds, has not exercised its authority, with serious consequences. Rectifying the situation will be difficult. (MSE)

The Hong Kong University and Polytechnic Grants Committee both reflects the uniqueness of Hong Kong's situation and is inhibited by it. Its academic members are all from overseas, which limits collective discussion and affects its reliance on a local secretariat that acts as a de facto department of higher education. (MSE)

A survey of attitudes toward Britain's University Grants Committee as intermediary between government and universities shows that it secures the maximum self-government for the institutions at any given time. Economic and political pressures have dampened enthusiasm for the agency, but do not warrant abandoning it. (MSE)

Australian experience since the late 1950s with coordinating agencies for higher education is reviewed, focusing on factors influencing the development and adaptation of these agencies, the establishment and transformation over time of the Australian Universities Commission, and recent developments in coordinating mechanisms at both commonwealth…

The evolution of higher education's relationship with the state in Sri Lanka since 1921 is chronicled, focusing on the roles and changes of the state coordinating agencies, first the National Council of Higher Education and later the University Grants Commission. The issue of institutional autonomy throughout this history is also discussed. (MSE)

The Ontario Council of University Affairs was established to counsel the provincial government concerning higher education and to act as a buffer between institutions and government. However, with no statutory authority, its advice has been largely ignored or rejected. A 1983 commission to rectify the situation has not succeeded. (MSE)

While the university systems of many countries owe their foundation and strategies to the British model, the coordinating agencies have been thought out more systematically and in some countries show significant variation in their roles. Their futures will depend on academics' firm judgment and willingness to stand up to government. (MSE)

The ways in which state higher education coordinating boards diffuse information about academic innovations is examined, and it is concluded that both the types of change they favor and their dissemination strategies are linked to their political position and the broad political and policy perspective it requires. (Author/MSE)

The evolution, changing role, and recent criticisms of Britain's University Grants Committee, the government agency charged with channelling funds to higher education institutions, are reviewed and discussed. The appropriateness of the concept and structure in a time of great educational change are specifically addressed. (MSE)

The modern role of New Zealand's University Grants Committee (UGC) in relation to universities and the Department of Education is examined, with emphasis on the historical and political factors resulting in the demise of the University of New Zealand and bringing the UGC into being. Recent loss of some autonomy as a result of financial exigency is…

Analysis of the role of research councils and the awarding of research grants suggests that they have become part of the reward system of the scientific community. It is proposed that research councils must become entrepreneurial, seeking both resources and a role in strategic networks, or face obsolescence. (MSE)

Funding practices of Canada's Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, the principal source of funds for university-based research and scholarship in those disciplines, are examined. In the current competitive environment, the council uses varied evaluation activities, from peer-based grant adjudication for operational purposes to program…