ABSTRACT
The variables under investigation in comparative studies are characteristics of organized collectivities, such as their size, the division of labor, and the decentralization of authority, not attitudes and behavior characterizing individual persons, as is the case in conventional surveys. The term “comparative study” usually is employed for international comparisons, but research on different nations is essential only if the units of analysis are societies. Data were collected on 115 universities and colleges, which constitute a representative sample of all four-year institutions granting liberal arts degrees in the United States in the mid-1960s. The sample estimate indicates that in 1968 the average academic institution had 304 faculty members, of whom 223 were full-time, and 4913 students. The items on decentralization refer to the influences over several kinds of decisions of trustees, administrators in various positions, faculty members in various ranks and groupings, and students.
