Salary comparisons: New methods for correcting old fallacies

Institutions of higher education place high priority on ensuring that their faculties are adequately paid. Since gauging the adequacy of compensation is a problem of relative measure, this assessment is usually performed by comparing university-level average salaries for a group of peer institutions. Often the potential distortions caused by differences in the rank mix of the faculty are forestalled by comparing average salaries for each of the four ranks. However, few if any institutions take similar steps to prevent the skewing of averages owing to differences in cost of living, differences in distribution of faculty in academic year and twelve-month appointments, and differences in the configuration of the faculty over disciplines. This paper shows that salary comparisons that do not compensate for these variation in staff mix are seriously flawed. A recommended methodology is demonstrated.     

Women’s participation in academic conferences in Israel

This article examines the participation of women in academic conferences in Israel, a country in which women are under-represented in academia vertically and horizontally. Data were retrieved from announcements of academic conferences in Israel, for one academic year, covering 56 conferences that attracted 997 participations. Participation was measured according to a three-level vertical hierarchy and a three-level horizontal divide that was based on academic discipline. Statistical z-tests and χ² tests were conducted to compare the proportions of male and female participation. Findings show that male participation in conferences was three times that of women. It was also found that the conferences reflected the social agenda in Israel. It is suggested that women are subjected to two forms of gender marginality, one stemming from the gendered division of labour and the other from the characteristics of the academic conferences that reflect the masculine military social agenda in Israel.     

“Whose responsibility is it?”: The third sector and the educational system in Israel

This study aims to explore the relationships between the third sector and the educational system in Israel in light of their current increasing involvement with one another. This was investigated along four stages of the policy process ranging from initial agenda-setting to final implementation. The stage of policy these relationships reached was determined by the scope of change they demanded and by their ability to engage the mediation of an elite. This qualitative research revealed that third sector organisations seeking to create a counter-hegemony were stopped at early stages of the policy process. Organisations that helped to maintain the existing order reached the implementation stage and executed the Education Ministry??s policy.