Academic freedom in the U.K.: legal and normative protection in a comparative context [Report for the University and College Union]
Academic freedom in the U.K.: legal and normative protection in a comparative context [Report for the University and College Union]
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英国的学术自由：比较背景下的法律和规范保护[大学和学院联盟的报告]
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发表时间：
2017
期刊：
影响因子：
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通讯作者：
Lucy Mallinson
中科院分区：
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作者：
T. Karran;Lucy Mallinson
本报告探讨了英国与其他27个欧盟国家相比，对学术自由的法律的（法律上的）和规范性（事实上的）保护。首先，通过审查欧盟国家的宪法和立法文书，对法律的保护进行评估;其次，通过评估各国遵守教科文组织1997年《关于高等教育教学人员地位的建议书》的程度;第三，通过非常详细地分析大学遵守一系列措施的37个不同要素，如国际文书，而且还包括（例如）学术人员任命或解雇校长、院长和部门负责人的能力。与其他27个欧盟国家形成鲜明对比的是，英国对学术自由的宪法保护（直接或通过言论自由间接）微不足道，对学术自由的实质性（教学和学习）和支持性（任期和治理）要素的立法保护也是如此。此外，联合王国在根据其签署的国际协定，特别是联合国教科文组织1997年《关于高等教育教学人员地位的建议书》保护学术自由方面也同样存在不足。在对学术自由的宪法和法律的保护进行最全面的评估时，英国的得分为35%，低于欧盟的平均水平（53%），在28个欧盟国家中排名第二。
对规范性事实保护的分析使用了通过类似调查收集的欧洲国家大学2 000多名UCU成员和5 000名工作人员的可比数据。它表明，英国对学术自由的法律保护水平低，反映了事实上的保护水平同样差（如果不是更差）。现实情况是，在绝大多数情况下，UCU成员报告的系统性滥用学术自由的程度在统计上显著高于欧洲同行。例如，23.1%的UCU受访者（和14.1%的欧盟受访者）报告说，由于他们的学术观点而受到欺凌，26.6%的UCU受访者报告说受到心理压力（欧盟= 15.7%），而35.5%的UCU队列承认自我审查，因为担心负面影响，如失去特权，降级，身体伤害（欧盟= 19.1%）。这种滥用可能是由于工作人员缺乏对学术自由权利的了解-只有41.7%的UCU队列声称有足够的学术自由工作知识（欧盟= 49.2），而不到一半的比例（20.6%）知道1988年教育改革法案，该法案据称保护英国的学术自由。毫不奇怪，81.6%的UCU受访者表示，他们欢迎有关学术自由概念及其权利和责任的更多信息。此外，UCU成员比欧洲同行更有可能强烈同意学术自由的主要要素（教学和研究自由，自治，共同治理和就业保护）已经下降。
总之，英国的法律的保护水平很低，反映在人们对学术自由权利的认识水平很低，滥用学术自由的情况很严重。
This report examines the legal (de jure) and normative (de facto) protection for academic freedom in the UK, when compared with the other 27 EU nations. The legal protection is assessed first, by examining the EU nations’ constitutions and legislative instruments; second, by means of an assessment of individual nations’ degree of compliance with UNESCO’s 1997 Recommendation concerning the Status of Higher-Education Teaching Personnel; and third by means of a very detailed analysis of 37 differing elements of university compliance with an array of measures, such as international instruments, but also including (for example) the ability of academic staff to appoint or dismiss the Rector, Deans and Heads of Departments. In sharp contrast with the other 27 EU nations, the constitutional protection for academic freedom (either directly, or indirectly via freedom of speech) in the UK is negligible, as is the legislative protection for the substantive (teaching and learning) and supportive (tenure and governance) elements of academic freedom. Additionally, the UK is similarly deficit in protecting academic freedom in line with international agreements of which it is a signatory, more especially UNESCO’s 1997 Recommendation concerning the Status of Higher-Education Teaching Personnel. Utilising the most comprehensive assessment of the constitutional and legal protection of academic freedom, the UK attains a score of 35%, which is less than the EU average (53%), and the second lowest among the 28 EU states.
The analysis of normative de facto protection uses comparable data from over 2000 UCU members and 5000 staff in universities of the European states, gathered by means of similar surveys. It demonstrates that the low level of de jure protection for academic freedom in the UK is mirrored by an equally poor (if not worse) level of de facto protection. The reality is that, in the overwhelming majority of instances, UCU members report statistically significantly higher levels of systematic abuse of their academic freedom, across a wide array of measures, than their European counterparts. For example, 23.1% of UCU respondents (and 14.1% of EU respondents) reported being bullied on account of their academic views, 26.6% of UCU respondents reported being subjected to psychological pressure (EU = 15.7%), while 35.5% of the UCU cohort admitted to self-censorship, for fear of negative repercussions, such as loss of privileges, demotion, physical harm (EU = 19.1%). Some of this abuse may be attributable to a lack of knowledge of academic freedom rights among staff – only 41.7% of the UCU cohort claimed to have an adequate working knowledge of academic freedom (EU = 49.2), while less than half that proportion (20.6%) knew about the 1988 Education Reform Act, which supposedly protects academic freedom in the UK. Not surprisingly, 81.6% of UCU respondents said they would welcome additional information on the concept of academic freedom and its rights and responsibilities. Furthermore, UCU members are much more likely to strongly agree than their European counterparts that the major elements of academic freedom (freedom for teaching and research, autonomy, shared governance and employment protection) have declined.
In sum the very low level of legal protection in the UK is mirrored by a low level of awareness of the rights of academic freedom, and a high level of abus