[kelnos]

Sure, but this is the US we're talking about, and the regulatory environment is of course different in the US than in Sweden or Russia.

You can argue that the US's regulations are dumb and shouldn't exist, but that doesn't change the fact that they do exist, and that universities need to retain staff that can ensure compliance.

I don't know if the huge amount of admin jobs at US universities today is actually necessary, but it's plausible that universities in one country might need more admin staff than universities in another.