Academic Freedom, Autonomy of Universities: Turning Point in the Evolution of Industrial Societies

The debate on academic freedom and the autonomy of universities has been revived recently in different countries, not only in authoritarian regimes but also in democratic nations. The objective is to concentrate on democratic nations and take this debate as a syndrome of the present stage of the globalization process. Since the 1960s, industrial societies had relied on economic growth to solve all their problems. Since the late 1990s, industrial societies have increasing relied on universities, on scientific progress, technological innovation, and higher education to overcome their contradictions. This shift is transforming the social economic structure. Universities find themselves in a double bind: they face a growing pressure to supply what governments, industries and societies are expecting from them. But to respond to these demands, universities need more autonomy to mitigate and manage these conflicting pressures.