Academic Freedom

This sub-sub-indicator assesses the extent to which academic freedom is respected. Academic freedom is understood as the right of academics, without constriction by prescribed doctrine, freedom of teaching and discussion, freedom in carrying out research and disseminating and publishing the results thereof, freedom to express freely their opinion about the institution or system in which they work, freedom from institutional censorship and freedom to participate in professional or representative academic bodies (UNESCO 1997 Recommendation concerning the Status of Higher-Education Teaching Personnel). The Academic Freedom Index is designed to provide an aggregated measure that captures the de facto realisation of academic freedom, including the degree to which higher-education institutions are autonomous.