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The paper's purpose is to show that the reported (and growing) labour productivity gap between the G7 and OECD countries and the USA might be a factor of the rapid adoption of shadow banking structures and techniques in the USA versus the adoption of those structures in OECD and G7 economies.

The paper explains the concept and practice of shadow banking and explores the ways in which the various conventions adopted distort reported productivity figures.

The growing adoption of shadow banking over the period 1974‐2007 has had the effect of increasing the metrics for labour productivity over the same period.

It is clear that those who wish to understand the apparent growing gap between labour productivity of the USA and other G7/OECD nations must look beyond the simple reported figures to identify the ways in which figures are calculated and reported.

The paper shows that reporting of figures to established conventions can be affected by a range of factors, not apparent from looking at those conventions themselves.

Traditional approaches to educational administration have generally reflected a managerial perspective which owed much to the principles of scientific management developed by F. W. Taylor. Technical concerns which have dwelt on “efficiency” and administration control have, however, ignored and masked the inequalities and ideologies around which organizations are structured. It is argued that critical theory may offer a means of exposing the forms of domination which repress human beings. For the German philosopher Jurgen Habermas critique is a powerful device to unmask unnecessary forms of domination which have been perpetuated by distorted communication. In contrast undistorted or ideal communication entails a pervasive democratic interaction which acknowledges that all participants have the capacity to take part in the making of meaningful decisions.

This article discusses the devolution of educational administration in Victoria from the perspective of the role and selection of principals in such a devolved system. Drawing on such writers as Dewey and Giddens the article presents the case why, in a political democracy, we should also have democratically administered organisations. But the tensions and problematic aspects in democratic forms of educational administration are also outlined. These forces impinging on the role and selection of principals are then exemplified through a case study.

The advent in 1982 of a Labor Government in Victoria, Australia, led to a new approach towards the administration of education, emphasising the democratisation of educational administration. The new approach was outlined in ministerial papers, one of which dealt with the establishment of the regional board of education. The representational aspect of a regional board using data collected over 12 months is outlined and some of the contradictions in its operation are highlighted.

In all forms of workplaces, especially in the English‐speaking world, administrators have been exhorted to introduce what are perceived to be the “best practices” operating in the more successful economies. The education “industry” in Australia appears to be no different in this regard from other industries, and the “best practices” appear to originate from Japan. Japanese management practices are promulgated as having abandoned the old methods of scientific management, offering new ways of managing workplaces in general, and schools in particular. Seeks to examine this proposition critically through an examination of two proposals which have been advanced as bringing “best practices” into the administration of schools. The two areas which have been given currency recently are the introduction of salary packages for teachers and the formation of work in schools. Concludes that these seeming innovations may not differ markedly from the principles advocated earlier this century by the proponents of scientific management. Nevertheless, they may still provide some means towards more democratic administrative practices.

Reviews the literature pertaining to the implementation of the advanced skills teacher (AST) category. Presents initial data from a current research programme which is investigating the introduction of the AST category into the education systems of Victoria and South Australia. Research involves a study of the implementation of the AST category in two primary schools, interviews with senior administrators and perusal of memoranda and other documents relating to AST introduction. Discusses perceptions of teachers on work and skills with reference to whether the teacher′s skill is an art or a craft and the changing importance of skill. The current scenario evident in education is a mix of deskilling, upgrading of skills and a maintenance of the existing skills.

Organizations, in their structuring and administrative practices, stimulate and promote certain personality traits and attitudes in the individuals who work in them. Focuses on the contention that a “psychostructure” is developed which can be identified but may also be the source of anxiety, depression and other psychopathologies. Discusses the results of a recent study of anxiety and depression among principals in public schools within the context of the development of a psychostructure which is reflectant of a particular doctrine of public administration.

Organizations, in their structuring and administrative practices, stimulate and promote certain personality traits and attitudes in the individuals who work in them. Focuses on the contention that a “psychostructure” is developed which can be identified but may also be the source of anxiety, depression and other psychopathologies. Discusses the results of a recent study of anxiety and depression among principals in public schools within the context of the development of a psychostructure which is reflectant of a particular doctrine of public administration.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of a perceived organizational culture on organizational identification and commitment of employees of a Russian university that is transforming to become an English-medium instruction (EMI) university.

Data were collected between February and March 2018, via an online survey that was disseminated among 115 new employees; 90 were completed and used for analyses. The survey included three scales.

Employees of the EMI university perceived its culture as market, which is not a common characteristic of universities that usually have a clan culture. The study has also demonstrated a discrepancy between the perceived (market) and the preferred (clan) organizational culture. The study has also showed that a clan, and not a market, culture strengthens employee organizational commitment and identification.

Most research has examined EMI universities from the perspectives of teaching and learning. This study contributes to the limited conceptual and theoretical base around these universities by examining their processes from a perspective of management. This paper suggests that the adoption of English as a medium of instruction requires organizational change that leads to change in organizational culture.

The purpose of this paper is to offer a critical reflection on ideas that have been published in the Journal of Educational Administration over the last 50 years that present perspectives on the nature of educational administration and its various aspects, that are alternatives to the mainstream systems‐scientific view of educational administration.

The paper employs a standard analytic philosophy methodology with a focus on argument structures found in epistemology. The approach is to argue that the content and structure of administrative theories is shaped significantly by background epistemologies that determine the nature and justification of administrative knowledge

Epistemologies for both the traditional systems‐science approach to educational administration and a range of alternatives are identified and specified, and the most characteristic features of these approaches that follow from their epistemologies are described. The paper permits inferences about theory choice, and what approach is best, based on a discussion of the merits of the different epistemologies.

The principal value of the paper is to classify and demonstrate the most general features of the arguments that have been behind the large‐scale theoretical differences in the field of educational administration.