Includes bibliographical references and index.

Part I. Introduction -- Part II. major issues in comparative perspective -- Part III. Experiences from individual countries and regions -- Part IV. Synthesis.

The worlds of academia and politics interested in issues of higher education have much to gain from one other, and most specially so when major reforms in higher education are under consideration. However, a certain gulf exists between those who undertake research on higher education and those who act within it. Two recent publications provided an overview on the state of research on higher education and on the major issues addressed. One was a book, Research on Higher Education at the Turn of the New Century: Structures, Issues, and Trends, edited by J. Sadlak and P. G. Altbach (New York/Paris: Garland/UNESCO, 1997). The other was a special issue of the journal Higher Education, devoted to the state of comparative research on higher education. Both show that research on higher education has remained small, when viewed against the large sector of higher education and against the high degree of problem awareness to be found there.