Libertà della Scienza e del suo insegnamento, autonomia e qualità delle università. Alcune riflessioni tratte dalla comparazione

This essay reflects on the relationship between university autonomy, freedom of science and teaching, and the quality of higher education systems, drawing on a comparative analysis of European experiences. Starting from the constitutional framework set out in Article 33 of the Italian Constitution and the principles of the Magna Charta Universitatum, the author argues that autonomy is the functional precondition for academic freedom and for universities' ability to produce and critically transmit culture. Through the lens of four key indicators — organisational autonomy, financial autonomy, staff recruitment, and academic autonomy in teaching and research — the analysis highlights how recent Italian reforms, although introduced under the banners of efficiency, accountability and quality enhancement, have substantially eroded institutional autonomy. The comparison with other European systems, particularly the British one, suggests that excessive external control and standardised evaluation mechanisms inspired by New Public Management logic tend to weaken rather than strengthen the quality of universities. The essay concludes that genuine quality can only be achieved by restoring substantive autonomy and replacing top-down controls with processes of internal self-responsibility, avoiding surreptitious forms of corporatisation that subordinate culture to political and market demands.