Higher Education Policies in Central and Eastern Europe: Convergence toward a Common Model? (original) (raw)
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European Educational Research Journal, Volume 3, Number 4, 2004
In this article, the Bologna Process and the European Research Area are viewed as the two sides of the same coin: that of the redefinition of the missions of the institution of the university. The Bologna Process is viewed as relatively closed to global developments: as largely inward-looking, focused on European regional problems (and European regional solutions), in the absence of references to global changes and huge globalization-related political and economic transformations underlying them. Higher education in central and eastern Europe has been in a state of permanent crisis since the fall of communism and there has not been enough general reflection on its transformations. The author's concern about Bologna is that it is not trying to rise to the conceptual level that would be required to assist higher education systems in central and eastern Europe with their integration with western European systems. Bologna could be a useful policy agenda; it could provide clear recommendations on what to do and how, presenting a comprehensive package of reforms. But it is not. In this respect, it does not meet expectations of the academic community in the region; it is unclear in its visions, and consequently in its recommendations for actions. In conclusion, the author states that while it may be quite successful in promoting its agenda in western Europe, it may fail in the transition countries, especially because of the combination of old and new challenges and because of chronic underfunding of national higher education systems. While western European institutions currently seem to be afraid of losing their autonomy, for educational institutions in most transition countries the Bologna Process could be a coherent reform agenda.
European Journal of Higher Education, 2015
This introductory article deals with higher education (HE) transformations in Central and Eastern Europe in the context of democratization and globalization. The authors first briefly survey the wider canvas of reform since 1989, particularly probing the extent to which the countries of the region may be treated as a distinctive or a cohesive group. Diverging experiences with communism, international organizations and the European Union are highlighted, while attention is also focused on the differing degrees of marketization exhibited by academic systems across the region. Yet, notwithstanding such differences, it is clear that the countries of the region emerge as distinctive ‘laboratories of reform’, privileged sites for understanding the interplay of external and domestic influences in the reshaping of the HE sector. Drawing on the findings of our contributors, the second part of the article then turns to understanding the domestic mediation of the processes of Europeanization and internationalization, identifying a series of key factors broadly discussed in terms of structures, norms and actors. This special issue thus aims to refine our understanding of HE transformations and internationalization in a post-authoritarian context. It further contributes more generally to debates on Europeanization and policy transfer in the field.
The future of higher education in Central-Eastern Europe: problems and possibilities
European Review, 1998
The main beliefs, strategies and problems marking the road of higher educational change in the Central–Eastern European countries are analysed and distinction is made between three main actors: government, clients and the academic community. At governmental level the focus is on the handicapping effects of conflict between short and long-term reform and the internal nature of the government-higher education relationship. Government initiated reforms should offer transitory and contextual solutions rather than permanent and substantive ones. The traditional lack of distinction between higher education as public versus private good and the problems and consequences of expanding higher education is examined. The political power of the academic community can hamper the effectiveness of reforms and external accountability. Reforms should separate the merged functions of supervision, allocation and professional accreditation. At the institutional level, executive leadership should be sepa...
European Educational Research Journal. Vol. 16(5) (2017) 519–528, 2017
For most countries it is safe to say that higher education (HE) is the segment of the education system which has changed the most over the past 50 years. Expansion, massification, greater female participation, privatization, the diversification of programmes, and more recently internationalization and globalization processes have radically transformed national HE systems. In Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), these processes of change have not only been much more abrupt and fastpaced than in the West, but have also run parallel to all-embracing political, economic and social transformations and, in many cases, nation-building. HE policy-makers in the region have been forced to tackle essentially all contemporary challenges confronting western HE systems within a much tighter timeframe and under much greater political and economic strain. HE reform has run parallel to the democratization of political institutions, the introduction of capitalism and, more recently, European integration. To complicate matters, CEE universities simultaneously struggled with the restoration of university self-governance and autonomy, academic freedoms, and the renewal of the academic profession. In numerous cases, HE was also at the apex of complicated national language and identity issues.
Higher Education in Europe, Vol. XXVI, No. 3, 2001
The thesis of this article is that the main factors contributing to the need to rethink higher education institutions today are linked to the advent of the global age. Although the countries of Central and Eastern Europe are not yet feeling the full force of the ensuing pressures, higher education here is likely to be affected very soon by globalization-relate d processes. Higher education all over the world, including Central and Eastern Europe, is no longer the unique part of the public sector that it used to be, either in explicit political declarations, in public perceptions, or in practical terms. Higher education is doubly affected by the local post-1989 transformations and by more profound and more long-lasting global transformations. To neglect either of the two levels of analysis is to misunderstand a decade of failed attempts to reform higher education systems in this part of the world.
The development of higher education in Eastern and Central Europe in the aftermath of recent changes
1991
Marxist-Leninist ideology's argument of historical determinism and its claim to conceptual superiority were put forward as the main rationales for the political legitimacy of the communist socioeconomic system in the countries commonly referred to as Eastern Europe. ~ This pretended superiority was also behind profound changes in higher education and the organization of science, which were introduced in somewhat se-Jan Sadlak (Poland/Canada). President of the international consulting firm EastEuroConsult in Toronto and a visiting scholar with the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. Former Executive Secretary of the Standing Conference of Redors, Presidents and Vice-Chancellors of the European Universities (CRE) and staff member of UNE,~CO-European Centre for Higher Education (CEPES) in Bucharest. First editor of the CEPES journal Higher Education in Europe, his publications cover such issues as policy, planning, financing and governance of higher education in Eastern Europe and various OECD countries as well as relations between higher education and industry.
Higher education reforms in Eastern Europe. A Hungarian-Romanian case study
2012
The paper analyzes, comparatively, the Hungarian and Romanian higher education systems, based on four dimensions: history, structure and financing, internationalization, quality assurance. The perspective of the analysis is the integration of European ways to reform the university, pursued by the Bologna process, and the replacement of traditional, nation (or groups of nations) - specific models, with a unified, common market-driven
Policy Experiments, Failures and Innovations: Beyond Accession in Central and Eastern Europe, 2018
What is the Bologna Process? Has it been a success or failure in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) in particular, and in Europe more generally? The question, asked time and again, is persistently misconstrued. This explains to a large extent both the inconsistent scholarly literature on the subject and the contradictory evaluations of the Bologna Process among politicians and policy makers, academics and higher education administrators, students and student organizations, other stakeholders and the general public. The chapter aims to reconsider the question and find a valid manner to address it. For this, it puts forward a comprehensive analysis of what is Bologna, a clear-cut approach to understanding policy transfer under this Process and a set of standards and benchmarks for gauging its success and failure in CEE. In pursuit of reform models from the early days of transition, CEE countries made the choice to adopt 'European models' in higher education. Interestingly, they decided not to consider other possible models from other parts of the world. As soon as the Bologna Process was started, it largely become the European model. In the implementation of this model, CEE countries adopted a wholesale, all-or-nothing, now-or-never approach, with no room for testing, or trial-and-error tactics. The Bologna Process, however, was in reality not a defined, unitary model or policy, but a complex and evolving set of values, principles, priorities, objectives, tools and instruments. Success and failure in this case is a matter of degree and must also consider the defined aspects of the Process.
Addressing challenges in higher education in the countries of Eastern Central Europe
The countries of Eastern Central Europe are often considered to share important similarities in many areas, including higher education, to the point of representing a distinctive region on the global map. To date, however, there is no consistent corpus of research available that would expound what these similarities are about exactly, what is their origin, or their relevance for the efforts to advance higher education in the respective countries. This paper is intended to make a contribution both in a theoretical order, by identifying and scrutinizing briefly some of the key conceptual elements that could help understand whether it is legitimate and useful to talk about Eastern Central Europe as a “region”, and also in a practical, policy perspective, by raising questions and putting forward recommendations regarding how to address challenges in higher education in this part of the world. More precisely, the paper focuses on the following questions: What justifies a discussion about Eastern Central Europe as a region? Are there common challenges in higher education throughout the region at present? What are they and how could they be addressed?
Eastern European Journal of Regional Studies, 2023
This article examines the critical role of higher education reforms in the Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries since their independence as they endeavor to align their systems with European standards and norms, ultimately seeking closer integration with the European Union (EU). The EaP countries, comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine, have embarked on ambitious journeys of transformation in their higher education sectors to foster economic development, enhance academic excellence, and strengthen regional cooperation. The article employs a comprehensive approach, encompassing both policy analysis and empirical insights to shed light on the multifaceted nature of higher education reforms across the region. It delves into the various challenges and opportunities faced by the EaP countries in their pursuit of European integration through higher education reforms. The key themes explored include the alignment of the national higher education reforms with the Bologna Declaration guidelines including the promotion of internationalization and quality assurance mechanisms emphasizing the importance of crossborder collaboration and knowledge exchange. It critically assesses the progress made so far, highlighting successes and identifying persistent obstacles. Moreover, it examines the role of international organizations and the EU programs in supporting these reforms. The analysis highlights the importance of higher education reforms in the EaP region not only as an instrument for achieving European integration but also as a catalyst for broader societal and economic transformations. The research data collected refer to the period of 1991-2020.