Walking Tightropes in Higher Education

Though buffer organizations play or might play an important role in the field of higher education, there is much uncertainty about their functioning. In this article an attempt has been made to contribute to the improvement of the understanding of buffer organizations. First of all, there is a description of a particular kind of buffer organization, namely a buffer as a ‘standing between’ the government and the institutions for higher education. Second, features and functions of such a buffer are described from an organizational, sociological perspective; furthermore, various factors are presented that influence the functioning of buffers. Finally, as an elaboration of these factors, a comparison has been made between two Dutch buffer organizations.