External university autonomy evaluations: The new autonomy ecology of Finnish universities

Abstract

This article analyses autonomy relationships in the Finnish university system following legislative reform aimed at increasing institutional financial autonomy. The empirical material comprises post-reform autonomy evaluation reports analysed using the ecology of games metaphor. These reports had not been empirically or theoretically analysed prior to this study. The findings reveal various players engaged in multiple interconnected autonomy games. Interestingly, the national university autonomy policy, intended to enhance institutional financial autonomy, did not emerge as the primary autonomy game. Instead, universities primarily engaged in managerial games. While several games were identified, the managerial game can be considered the ‘master game’ in the Finnish university autonomy context, in which relative community disempowerment and financial matters characterise related games. The article contributes to academic debates on university autonomy and managerial governance, illustrating emerging patterns of de-collegialisation in Finland through a novel theoretical framework.