Oxford University (and, I think, Cambridge, but not the rest of the UK) really do have the senior faculty holding the formal power. There was a debate in Congre

Oxford University (and, I think, Cambridge, but not the rest of the UK) really do have the senior faculty holding the formal power. There was a debate in Congregation (the University's 'parliament') last year on the question of whether to force the University administration to demolish some new (and expensive) accommodation blocks on the grounds that they spoiled the view from part of an ancient common. It was taken very seriously precisely because they did have the power to do it. What's interesting is that this ultimate power is used exceedingly seldom, and very rarely indeed for non-symbolic purposes. There's an active Congregation process involving the compulsory retirement age, but for more-or-less everything else Congregation simply defers to the administration. So I'm not sure that we can point to the power structures as the reason top-down management is such a thing. It happens because we're happy to let it.