Legislature and University Conflict: The Case of California

This paper examines conflicts over authority between the California legislature and the University of California. Like universities in at least ten states, the University of California has broad constitutional autonomy, yet the legislature retains budgetary and other powers over it. How do universities and legislatures in such situations, where neither has full authority, act in conflicts? This paper finds that they adopt compensatory strategies: they use authority in one area to gain control of a second, reinterpret issues, and, when other strategies fail, appeal to higher authorities. This paper also examines the outcomes of these conflicts and their policy implications for university independence and responsiveness.