This paper reports on an ethnographic exploration of the culture of institutional governance at one of the five public universities in Laos. Drawing on documentary materials, on-site observations made over an extended period, and semi-structured interviews conducted with 31 academic managers from across all management levels at the site institution, the paper seeks to throw light on the institution’s embedded practices of internal governance, as well as on the beliefs, values and aspirations associated with those practices. A constructivist and interpretive methodology was employed to generate data. The picture to emerge is one of a university hemmed in by State controls and ideology, in which there is an overwhelmingly bureaucratic and managerial culture, and in which a governance structure that could potentially support institutional and academic autonomy does not do so. Resource constraints also contribute to the institution’s limited capacity to exercise autonomy.

中文翻译：

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老挝大学的机构治理文化：人种学探索

本文报道了老挝五所公立大学之一对制度治理文化的人种学探索。本文利用文献资料，长时间的现场观察以及对来自站点机构各个管理级别的31位学术经理的半结构化访谈，试图阐明该机构在内部治理中的内在实践，以及与这些实践相关的信念，价值观和愿望。建构主义和解释性方法被用来生成数据。出现的图景是一所受到国家控制和意识形态束缚的大学之一，其中存在着压倒性的官僚和管理文化，可能支持机构和学术自主权的治理结构却没有这样做。资源限制也导致该机构行使自主权的能力有限。