Mergers as silver bullets?

ABSTRACT Most mergers in higher education have really been acquisitions of smaller and more vulnerable institutions by larger and stronger ones. The aim has been to produce more financially robust and academically resilient institutions. But mergers have been the exception. The institutional landscape of most public higher education systems has changed only slowly. However, more competitive market conditions, combined with continuing funding constraints, may change that picture. But mergers should not be seen as a ‘magic bullet’ by national policy makers and institutional leaders.