New public management (NPM) has dominated the reforms in the higher education sector and the academic discussion on how universities should be governed since the 1980s. Besides, the introduction of accountability and efficiency measures in the form of performance measurement and pay-for-performance scheme, a key debated aspect of NPM is the strengthening of the role of boards and the introduction of a more firm-like governance structure. Much work is still needed to evaluate the implementation of NPM reforms in the university domain, particularly with respect to the internal governance changes. Besides formal rules, perceptions of key actors on their institutional environment play a major role in investigating university governance. This article uses a unique dataset on Italian universities to illustrate the internal governance patterns that emerged after the 2010 reform and critically analyses the differences in the perceptions of rectors and department chairs providing insights for both academic and policymakers.

自 1980 年代以来，新公共管理（NPM）一直主导着高等教育部门的改革和关于大学应如何治理的学术讨论。此外，以绩效衡量和绩效薪酬计划的形式引入问责制和效率措施，新公共管理的一个主要争论方面是加强董事会的作用和引入更像公司的治理结构。评估新公共管理改革在大学领域的实施仍需开展大量工作，尤其是在内部治理变化方面。除了正式规则之外，关键行为者对其制度环境的看法在调查大学治理方面也发挥着重要作用。