Governing Risk Universities: Can we really control uncertainty in higher education and should we try? Seminar

The presentation will examine the notion of a 'New Public Risk Management' (NPRM) in higher education systems, including both internal risk management and external risk- based regulation, and explore its efficacy and consequences. It will be suggested that risk is an inappropriate basis for the regulation and governance of creative and innovative organisations such as universities, and that policy makers have mistaken risk for uncertainty. Moreover, there are strong cultural reasons that militate against risk as a universalising model.