During the 1980s the higher education scene in Britain shifted dramatically. This text presents a synoptic model of how the system as a whole now functions, and how its various components are interconnected. Drawing on detailed interview data from leading figures in British higher education, the authors explore the characteristic values and practices of the four main levels in the system - the central authorities, the institution, the basic unit and the individual - and analyze the pattern of relationships between them. They note the changes that have taken place in the last decade, and look ahead to how the system seems likely to develop in the future. Based on the UK, much of the analysis is relevant to higher education in other countries.