"New public administration" in institutions of higher education in Germany: the way to autonomy or the loss of academic traditions?

this paper focuses on the concept of "new public administration" which has become widespread in universities of Western Europe. The authors discuss the main principles of "new public administration" such as transition to contract management, state's refusal of detailed regulation of university activities, involvement of non-governmental organizations' representatives in university administrative processes, and extending the rights of mid-level managers. A brief overview of modern university administration tools is provided, specifically: results-based financing, increasing competition between universities, extending the resource base, global budget development, expansion of industry-specific and society-oriented education. The engagement of external experts and social partners in university administration is associated in the article with the activity of universities' councils and considered as another important administrative tool. The paper explores the opportunities of "new public administration" to increase financial and administrative independence of German universities. In addition, the risks associated with the loss of academic traditions in Russian and foreign universities when applying this concept are analyzed.