This volume seeks to draw upon recent and past experiences of mergers and associations short of a merger and to approach the subject both from a systemic level and from the perspective of individual institutions. Inevitably the two levels are interlinked but broadly speaking this distinction is used to separate Part 1, dealing with perspectives at the level of a nation and national system, although often illustrated by examples which extend the range of cases (for countries such as France, Sweden, Romania, Wales, China, South Africa), and Part 2, which takes us down to individual case-studies analysed in depth (in countries such as France, UK, Romania, Spain, Australia). These experiences of course also show responses to wider forces and initiatives but allow a more

The chapters of this volume tell stories and make contributions in their own right. An introductory chapter seeks to guide the reader by pointing out from the start some recurrent themes and tensions. In seeking to identify the phenomenon of university mergers, their causes and their consequences, a series of dichotomies are discussed: alliance vs merger; external vs internal motivation; education vs research; short-term vs long-term outcomes and assessment; and motivation and implementation.