Ouns Mornagui

In light of some contemporary studies on meritocracy (S. Cingari 2020; M.J. Sandel 2020; D. Markovits 2019), the research project aims to see how the care paradigm can constitute a model from which to critique the meritocratic one. The goal will be to analyze how the framework of "care" can be considered in the processes of reconceptualization and redefinition of university systems, moving towards a systemic alternative. Following this analytical examination and historical reconstruction of thought, the issue will be addressed of how meritocracy and competition have become integrated into the managerialization processes of universities in the context of the European Union and in other countries such as the United States, South Korea, and Brazil. The subject of comparison will indeed be the university systems of Europe, the United States, Korea, and Brazil, starting from the ways in which their governance systems change (particularly the active or more concealed role of multiple actors or centralized agencies) and their legitimizing discourses. Special attention will be given to European Union policies and to the examination of some recent regulations that have received little attention in the literature, such as the Scoping Report of the European Commission Towards a Reform of the Research Assessment System and the subsequent Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment, signed by universities, research centers, European agencies, and evaluation bodies such as ANVUR.