Requiem for democratic governance? An assessment of the impacts of the Legal Framework for Higher Education Institutions (2007-2021)

Abstract

The Legal Framework for Higher Education Institutions, approved in 2007, structurally reformed the governance model of universities and polytechnic institutes. Situating this reform within an international context, this article assesses its impacts, emphasizing how it resulted in a deficit of representation and electoral participation. This was manifested through high abstention rates among students, irregular participation rates that tended to decrease among teachers and staff, and the exclusion of precarious faculty and researchers from electoral processes. It is concluded that the trend towards commercialization and commodification has negatively affected the governance and democratic management of higher education institutions.