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(De)constructing power in higher education governance structures: an analysis of representation and roles in governing bodies

(De)constructing power in higher education governance structures: an analysis of representation and roles in governing bodies is an original paper rooted in a Foucauldian sociological theoretical perspective of power relations in the governance of higher education institutions. It was originated from a benchmarking project, carried out in 2008-2010, financially supported by the European Commission. The empirical data was collected by a structured questionnaire that was developed to allow the research team to map the governance structures and processes of higher education in the European Union. It provides a deconstruction, analysis and understanding of how power relations function in relation to the internal and external environment of higher education institutions. This is deconstructive analysis is achieved by examining which categories of power are at play as well as which tools/mechanisms of power are being exercised and how. The significance of the paper is that it provides a Foucauldian analysis of the seemingly neutral descriptions of governance structures and processes and it provides an analysis of how these structures and process are much more ambiguous and contestable than at first sight.