Academic literature
A theory of student agency in higher education
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Klemenčič, M. (2023b). A theory of student agency in higher education. In Baik, C. and Kahu, E. (eds.), The Research Handbook on the Student Experiences in Higher Education. Chapter 3. Cheltenham: Edgar Elgar Publishing.
A Will to Learn
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Barnett, R. (2007). A Will to Learn. Berkshire, UK: Open University Press.
Activism Under Attack
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Kapit, A. (2023). Activism Under Attack. Understanding the Repression of Student Activism. Oslo: SAIH – the Norwegian Students’ and Academics’ International Assistance Fund.
After the “Master Theory”: Downs, Schattschneider, and the rebirth of policy-focused analysis
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Hacker, J.S. and Pierson, P. (2014). After the “Master Theory”: Downs, Schattschneider, and the rebirth of policy-focused analysis. Perspectives on Politics 12(3): 643-62. doi:10.1017/S1537592714001637.
Being Human: The Problem of Agency
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Archer, M. (2000). Being Human: The Problem of Agency. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Constructing authority in transnational governance: Rationality, hierarchy and state involvement in the world of certification standards
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Gustafsson, I. and Hallström, K.T. (2014). Constructing authority in transnational governance: Rationality, hierarchy and state involvement in the world of certification standards. Paper presented at The Phenomenology of Organizations: A SCANCOR Celebration of the Work of John Meyer. September 25-27, 2014, Boston, MA.
Contesting Higher Education Student Movements against Neoliberal Universities
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Della, Porta, Donatella, Lorenzo Cini and Guzmán- Concha, César (2020). Contesting Higher Education Student Movements against Neoliberal Universities. Bristol: Bristol University Press.
Contract law and the student-university relationship
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Buchter, J.F. (1973). Contract law and the student-university relationship. Indiana Law Journal 48(2): 253-68.
Culture in action: Symbols and strategies
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Swidler, Ann (1986). Culture in action: Symbols and strategies. American Sociological Review 51(2): 273-86.
Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgment of Taste
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Bourdieu, P. 1984 [1979]. Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgment of Taste. Translated by Richard Nice. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Elaborating the ‘new institutionalism’
Last Updated: March 19, 2026March, James G. and Olsen, Johan (2008). “Elaborating the ‘new institutionalism’.” In Rhoades, R.A.W., Binder, Sarah A. and Rockman, Bert A. (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Political Institutions (pp. 3-20). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Emerging adulthood: A theory of development from the late teens through the twenties
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Jensen, Arnett Jeffrey (2008). Emerging adulthood: A theory of development from the late teens through the twenties. American Psychologist 55(5): 469-80. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.55.5.469.
Freedom, fragmentation and student politics: Tracing the effects of consumerism in english students’ unions
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Raaper, R. (2022). Freedom, fragmentation and student politics: Tracing the effects of consumerism in english students’ unions, in R. Watermeyer, R. Raaper and M. Olssen (eds.), Handbook on Academic Freedom (pp. 288-303). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.
From student engagement to student agency: Conceptual considerations of European policies on student-centered learning in higher education
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Klemenčič, M. (2017). From student engagement to student agency: Conceptual considerations of European policies on student-centered learning in higher education. Higher Education Policy 30(1): 69-85.
From university democratisation to managerialism: The changing legitimation of university governance and the place of students
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Luescher-Mamashela, T.M. (2010). From university democratisation to managerialism: The changing legitimation of university governance and the place of students. Tertiary Education and Management 16(4): 259-83.
HE institution governing boards: Student board members
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Klemenčič, M. (2020d). HE institution governing boards: Student board members. In David, M.E. and Amey, M.J. (eds.), The SAGE Encyclopedia of HE (5 volumes). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Higher Education Governance Reforms across Europe
Last Updated: March 19, 2026de Boer, H.F. and File, J. (2009). Higher Education Governance Reforms across Europe. Brussels: ESMU.
Homo Academicus
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Bourdieu, P. 1988 [1984]. Homo Academicus. Translated by Peter Collier. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
Inequalities in students’ union leadership: the role of social networks
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Brooks, R., Byford, K. and Sela, K. (2015). Inequalities in students’ union leadership: the role of social networks. Journal of Youth Studies 18(9): 1204-18. doi:10.1080/13676261.2015.1039971.
Inspired by student politics in Italy: A proposal for a new typology to classify student collective actors
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Vespa, M., Sguazzini, M. and Pratissoli, R. (2024). Inspired by student politics in Italy: A proposal for a new typology to classify student collective actors. In Klemenčič, M. (ed.), The Bloomsbury Handbook of Student Representation. Chapter 30. London: Bloomsbury Publishers.
Long-term outcomes of participation in student government
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Downey, R.G., Bosco, P.J. and Silver, E.M. (1984). Long-term outcomes of participation in student government. Journal of College Student Personnel 25(3): 245-50.
On the way towards new public management? The governance of university systems in England, the Netherlands, Austria, and Germany
Last Updated: March 19, 2026de Boer, H.F., Enders, J. and Schimank, U. (2007). On the way towards new public management? The governance of university systems in England, the Netherlands, Austria, and Germany. In Jansen, D. (ed.), New Forms of Governance in Research Organizations. Disciplinary Approaches, Interfaces and Integration (pp. 137-52). Springer.
Openly gay undergraduate men in student government: Out, visible, and elected
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Goodman, M.A. (2021). Openly gay undergraduate men in student government: Out, visible, and elected. The Journal of Diversity in Higher Education. doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000273
Part of the ‘Establishment’? Fostering Positive Campus Climates for Student Activists
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Broadhurst, Christopher and Martin, Georgianna L. (2014). “Part of the ‘Establishment’? Fostering Positive Campus Climates for Student Activists.” Journal of College and Character 15(2): 75-85.
Participating but not leading: Women’s under-representation in student government leadership positions
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Miller, C. and Kraus, M. (2004). Participating but not leading: Women’s under-representation in student government leadership positions. College Student Journal 38(3): 423-7.
Perspectives on student political activism
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Altbach, P.G. (1989). Perspectives on student political activism. Comparative Education 25(1): 97-110.
Political legitimacy
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Peter, F. (2017). Political legitimacy. In Zalta, Edward N. (ed.), The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2017 Edition). https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2017/entries/legitimacy/.
Politics as a vocation
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Weber, M. (1918). Politics as a vocation. In Gerth, H.H. and Mills, Wright (eds.), (1970), Max Weber: Essays in Sociology (pp. 77-128). Abingdon: Routledge and Kegan Paul.
Politics, Pressures, and the Tariff: A Study of Free Private Enterprise in Pressure Politics
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Schattschneider, E.E. (1935). Politics, Pressures, and the Tariff: A Study of Free Private Enterprise in Pressure Politics. Old Bridge, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Re-inventing shared governance: Implications for organisational culture and institutional leadership
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Stensaker, B. and Vabø, A. (2013). Re-inventing shared governance: Implications for organisational culture and institutional leadership. Higher Education Quarterly 67(3): 256-74. doi:10.1111/hequ.12019.
Realist Social Theory: The Morphogenetic Approach
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Archer, M. (1995). Realist Social Theory: The Morphogenetic Approach. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511557675
Special issue: Student power in African HE
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Luescher, T.M., Klemenčič, M. and Jowi, O.J. (eds.) (2015). Special issue: Student power in African HE. Journal of Student Affairs in Africa 3(1): 1-116.
Structure, Agency and the Internal Conversation
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Archer, M. (2003). Structure, Agency and the Internal Conversation. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139087315
Student activism and student organizations
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Klemenčič, M. (2020a). Student activism and student organizations. In David, Miriam E. and Amey, Marilyn J. (eds.), The SAGE Encyclopedia of HE, 5v. Washington, DC: SAGE Publishers.
Student agency and student impact through representative student associations
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Klemenčič, M. (2024). Student agency and student impact through representative student associations. In Conner, Jerusha, Raaper, Rille, Guzmán-Valenzuela, Carolina and Gauthier, Launa, The Bloomsbury International Handbook of Student Voice in Higher Education. Chapter 18. London and New York: Bloomsbury Publishers.
Student employees
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Klemenčič, M. (2020e). Student employees. In Shin, J.C. and Teixeira, P. (eds.), International Encyclopedia of HE Systems and Institutions. Dordrecht: Springer.
Student government as a provider of student services
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Cuyjet, M.J. (1994). Student government as a provider of student services. New Directions for Student Services 1994(66): 73-89. doi:10.1002/ss.37119946608.
Student governments
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Klemenčič, M. (2020c). Student governments. In Shin, J.C. and Teixeira, P. (eds.), International Encyclopedia of HE Systems and Institutions. Dordrecht: Springer.
Student Identity and Political Agency: Activism, Representation and Consumer Rights
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Raaper, R. (2023). Student Identity and Political Agency: Activism, Representation and Consumer Rights. London: Routledge.
Student involvement in quality enhancement
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Klemenčič, M. (2015a). Student involvement in quality enhancement. In Huisman, Jeroen, de Boer, Harry, Dill, David and Souto-Otero, Manuel (eds.), The Handbook of HE Policy and Governance (pp. 526-43). London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Student participation in the governance of higher education in Europe: Results of a survey
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Persson, A. (2004). Student participation in the governance of higher education in Europe: Results of a survey. In Bergan, S. (ed.), The University as Respublica: Higher Education Governance, Student Participation and the University as a Site of Citizenship (pp. 3182). Strasbourg: Council of Europe Publishing.
Student participation in university governance
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Zuo, B. and Ratsoy, E. (1999). Student participation in university governance. Canadian Journal of HE 29(1): 1-26.
Student participation in university governance: The role conceptions and sense of efficacy of student representatives on departmental committees
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Lizzio, A. and Wilson, K. (2009). Student participation in university governance: The role conceptions and sense of efficacy of student representatives on departmental committees. Studies in HE 34(1): 69-84.
Student political activism
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Altbach, P.G. (1991). Student political activism. In Altbach, P.G. (ed.), International Higher Education: An Encyclopedia (pp. 247-60). New York, NY: Garland.
Student politics
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Klemenčič, M. (2020f). Student politics. In J.C. Shin and P. Teixeira (eds.), International Encyclopedia of Higher Education Systems and Institutions. Dordrecht: Springer.
Student politics and political systems
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Weinberg, I. and Walker, K. (1969). Student politics and political systems. American Journal of Sociology 75(July): 77-96.
Student Politics in Africa: Representation and Activism
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Luescher, T.M., Klemenčič, M., and Jowi, O.J. (eds.) (2016). Student Politics in Africa: Representation and Activism. Cape Town and Maputo: African Minds.
Student politics: Activism and culture
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Altbach, P.G. (2006). Student politics: Activism and culture. In Forest, J.F. and Altbach, P.G. (eds.), International Handbook of HE (pp. 329-45). Dordrecht: Springer.
Student politics: Between representation and activism
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Klemenčič, M. and Park, B.Y. (2018). Student politics: Between representation and activism. In Cantwell, B., Coates, H. and King, R. (eds.), Handbook on the Politics of HE (pp. 468-86). Cheltenham: Edward.
Student power in a global perspective and contemporary trends in student organising
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Klemenčič, M. (2014). Student power in a global perspective and contemporary trends in student organising. Studies in HE 39(3): 396-411.
Student power in twenty-first century Africa: The character and role of student organising
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Luescher, T.M. and Klemenčič, M. (2016). Student power in twenty-first century Africa: The character and role of student organising. In Brooks, R. (ed.), Student Politics and Protests (pp. 166-86). Abingdon: Routledge.
Student Protest: The Sixties and After
Last Updated: March 19, 2026De Groot, G.J. (1998). Student Protest: The Sixties and After. Abingdon: Taylor & Francis.
Student representation and multiparty politics in African HE
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Luescher-Mamashela, M. and Mugume, T. (2014). Student representation and multiparty politics in African HE. Studies in HE 39(3): 500-15.
Student representation in university decision making: Good reasons, a new lens?
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Luescher-Mamashela, T.M. (2013). Student representation in university decision making: Good reasons, a new lens? Studies in HE 38(10): 1442-56.
Student representation in Western Europe: Introduction to the special issue
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Klemenčič, M. (2012). Student representation in Western Europe: Introduction to the special issue. European Journal of HE 2(1): 2-19.
Student representation in Western Europe: introduction to the special issue (2012)
Last Updated: March 18, 2026This article introduces the special issue of European Journal of Higher Education dedicated to the cross-national comparison of student representation in Western Europe. Student representative organisations, whose primary aim is to represent and defend the interests of the collective student body, are core participants in European higher education (HE) governance. Yet, these organisations are strikingly absent in...
Students as “animal laborans”? Tracing student politics in a marketised HE setting
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Raaper, R. (2021). Students as “animal laborans”? Tracing student politics in a marketised HE setting. Sociological Research Online 26(1): 130-46.
Students as actors and agents in student-centered HE
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Klemenčič, M. (2020b). Students as actors and agents in student-centered HE. In Hoidn, S. and Klemenčič, M. (eds.), Routledge International Handbook on Student-Centered Learning and Teaching in HE (pp. 75-92). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429259371-7
Students in HE governance in Europe: Contrasts, commonalities and controversies
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Pabian, P. and Minksova, L. (2011). Students in HE governance in Europe: Contrasts, commonalities and controversies. Tertiary Education and Management 17(3): 261-73.
Students in Revolt
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Lipset, S.M. and Altbach, P.G. (eds.) (1969). Students in Revolt. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.
Students’ unions and consumerist policy discourses in English HE
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Raaper, R. (2020). Students’ unions and consumerist policy discourses in English HE. Critical Studies in Education 61(2): 245-61.
Students’ views regarding their participation in university governance: Implications for distributed leadership in HE
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Menon, M.E. (2005). Students’ views regarding their participation in university governance: Implications for distributed leadership in HE. Tertiary Education and Management 11(2): 167-82.
The Bloomsbury Handbook of Student Politics and Representation in Higher Education (2024)
Last Updated: March 18, 2026We are proud to announce the launch of “The Bloomsbury Handbook of Student Politics and Representation in Higher Education,” a groundbreaking resource edited by Dr. Manja Klemenčič. Now accessible open access and free of charge, this comprehensive handbook provides an unprecedented global overview of student political engagement and representation in higher education institutions. With contributions...
The institutional dynamics of the (European) University
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Olsen, J.P. (2005). The institutional dynamics of the (European) University. Arena Working Paper No. 15, University of Oslo: Arena.
The organization of business interests: Studying the associative action of business in advanced industrial societies
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Schmitter, P.C. and Streeck, W. (1999). The organization of business interests: Studying the associative action of business in advanced industrial societies. MPlfG Discussion Paper, 99/1.
The Politics of Social Policy in the United States
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Skocpol, T., Weir, M.M. and Orloff, A.S. (1989). The Politics of Social Policy in the United States. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
The rise of the student estate
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Klemenčič, M. (2023a). The rise of the student estate. In Amaral, A., and A. Magalhães, (eds.), The Handbook on Autonomy and Governance of Higher Education Institutions. Chapter 29, Cheltenham: Edgar Elgar Publishing.
The Rise of the Student Estate in Britain
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Ashby, E., and Anderson, M. (1970). The Rise of the Student Estate in Britain. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
The significance of student organizations to leadership development
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Rosch, D.M. and Collins, D. (2017). The significance of student organizations to leadership development. New Directions for Student Leadership 2017(155): 9-19. https://doi.org/10.1002/yd.20246
The State Nobility: Elite Schools and the Field of Power
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Bourdieu, Pierre. 1996 [1989]. The State Nobility: Elite Schools and the Field of Power. Translated by Lauretta C. Clough. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781503615427
The student voice in quality assessment and improvement
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Klemenčič, M. (2018). The student voice in quality assessment and improvement. In Hazelkorn, Ellen, Coates, Hamish and McCormick, Alex (eds.), Research Handbook on Quality, Performance and Accountability in HE (pp. 332-43). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing.
The study of college impact
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Hurtado, S. (2007). The study of college impact. In Gumport, P. (ed.), Sociology of Higher Education (pp. 94-112). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
Transitions from Authoritarian Rule: Tentative Conclusions about Uncertain Democracies
Last Updated: March 19, 2026O’Donnell, G.A. and Schmitter, P.C. (1986). Transitions from Authoritarian Rule: Tentative Conclusions about Uncertain Democracies. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.
Transnational student associations in the European multi-level governance of HE policies
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Klemenčič, M. and Galán Palomares, F.M. (2018). Transnational student associations in the European multi-level governance of HE policies. European Educational Research Journal 17(3): 365-84.
Valuing the civic role of university education in an age of competition and rapid change
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Teixeira, P.N. and Klemenčič, M. (2021). Valuing the civic role of university education in an age of competition and rapid change. In H. Van’t Land, A. Corcoran and D.C. Iancu (eds.), The Promise of HE (pp. 145-51). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-67245-4_23.
We are one, but we’re not the same: Explaining the emergence of hybrid national student unions
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Jungblut, J. and Weber, R. (2015). We are one, but we’re not the same: Explaining the emergence of hybrid national student unions. In Student Engagement in Europe: Society, HE and Student governance (pp. 269-81). Strasbourg: Council of Europe.
Well-being, agency and freedom
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Sen, A. (1985). Well-being, agency and freedom. The dewey lectures 1984. Journal of Philosophy 82: 169-221. https://doi.org/10.5840/jphil198582466
What is student agency: An ontological exploration in the context of research on student engagement
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Klemenčič, M. (2015b). What is student agency: An ontological exploration in the context of research on student engagement. In Klemenčič, M., Bergan, S. and Primožič, R. (eds.), Student engagement in Europe: society, higher education, and student governance. Council of Europe Higher Education Series No. 20. Strasbourg: Council of Europe Publishing.
What students gain from participating in student government
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Kuh, G.D. and Lund, J.P. (1994). What students gain from participating in student government. New Directions for Student Services 66: 5-17.
When effect becomes cause: Policy feedback and political change
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Pierson, P. (1993). When effect becomes cause: Policy feedback and political change. World Politics 45(4): 595-628.
Youth political participation: Bridging activism and electoral politics
Last Updated: March 19, 2026Fisher, Dana (2012). Youth political participation: Bridging activism and electoral politics. Annual Review of Sociology 38(1): 119-37.
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