ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of central reform elements at universities such as structural and organizational changes, performance management developments, professionalized management requirements, amalgamations, and incentive systems. The reform process takes place in a public sector with established institutions and actors in a highly institutionalized field. A report on “The University System in Denmark” pointed out that that global research context meant that structural change was needed. Countries like Norway and Australia had already introduced a performance-based university research funding system, and in the Bibliometric Research Indicator were implemented in the Danish university sector. The reform narrative has been quite clear that Denmark needs to have bigger and better universities in order to compete for students and for EU funding. Research and higher education are policy areas that have political attention, and political parties use research and higher education to position themselves.
