Bologna as a policy process: Success or failure?

Transcription

1 Bologna as a policy process: Success or failure? Jeroen Huisman, University of Bath j.huisman@bath.ac.uk

2 Bologna as a policy process: Success or failure? - Many different views on Bologna - Who is right? - Analytical perspectives on Bologna as a policy process

3 What is the Bologna process? p p p p p p the adoption of a system of easily readable and comparable degrees, also through the implementation of the Diploma Supplement ; the adoption of a system essentially based on two main cycles, undergraduate and graduate ; the establishment of a system of credits ; the promotion of mobility of students and academic and administrative staff; the promotion of European co-operation in quality assurance ; and the promotion of the necessary European dimensions in higher education (Bologna declaration, 1999).

4 Bologna as a policy process: Success or failure? Starters for 10: - Do you think the Bologna process has been a success (so far)? - And why (not)?

5 Bologna as a policy process: Success or failure? p This report clearly shows that we are on track to achieve the central objective of creating the EHEA by (Figel, in Eurydice, 2009). p Developments over the last two years have brought us a significant step closer to the realisation of the EHEA. (London communique, 2007).

6 Bologna as a policy process: Success or failure? p Uneven implementation (Tomusk, 2006, Voices from the periphery ) p Bologna as an act of appropriation (Neave, 2001, Tertiary Education and Management)

7 Bologna as a policy process: Achievements... The concise answer: -two/three cycles: yes, everywhere, but... -Diploma Supplement, ECTS -mobility: yes, but... -cooperation in QA: yes -European dimension:???

8 Bologna as a policy process: Achievements... Source: Eurydice, 2009

9 Bologna as a policy process: Achievements... Source: Eurydice, 2009

10 State of the art 2009 Source: Rauhvargers et al., 2009

11 Achievements, but... Structure Country Varying 3/4 + 1/2 Moving to 2 cycle No 2-cycle Croatia, Czech Republic, Latvia, Romania, Germany (and ), Hungary, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Iceland Bulgaria, Malta Turkey, Cyprus, Poland, Lithuania Slovenia, Slovakia Spain France, Estonia, Sweden Austria, Finland, Greece Structure of cycles in engineering in Bologna countries (from Huisman et al., 2006, p.36)

12 Bologna as a policy process: Achievements... Huisman, Witte & File (2006, Curriculum reform project ): - The hardware (cycles, DS, ECTS) is implemented in many countries, but the softer issues (learning outcomes, recognition prior learning, lifelong learning, European dimension, qualification frameworks) are much less visible as outcomes - Behind the general picture (stocktaking/eurydice) much diversity...

13 Success or failure: a historical perspective p 1970s: EU mobility initiatives p 1987: launch of ERASMUS p 1992: Maastricht Treaty p 1999: Bologna Declaration p 2001: Lisbon Declaration p 2003 now: Bologna circus: Berlin, Prague, Bergen, London, Louvain/Leuven p 46 countries, 4,000 institutions...

14 Success or failure: an educational perspective p Many reform/innovation projects are not successful p Educational reform is particularly prone to failure: complex, many layers, involvement professionals (Cerych and Sabatier, 1986, Great expectations, mixed performances ; Clark, 1983, Higher education system speaks of bottom-heaviness )

15 Success or failure: a policy perspective p Policy is the setting of objectives, to be reached with certain tools/instruments - within a certain time frame.

16 A policy perspective: How can it be that such a vague set of objectives has dominated the higher education discourse in Europe and has brought about such an amount of change (processes)?

17 Theoretical explanations: IMPLEMENTATION LOST IN TRANSLATION POWER GAMES

18 Theoretical explanations: IMPLEMENTATION Traditional public policy and administration: * muddling through (Lindblom, 1959) * implementation: Pressman & Wildavsky (1973), how great expectations in Washington are dashed in Oakland * path dependency: Steinmo et al., 1992 * Europeanisation literature: Olsen, 2002

19 Theoretical explanations: TRANSLATION Sociology: * travel of ideas (Czarniawski & Sevon, 1996) * garbage can (Cohen et al., 1972) * windows of opportunity (Kingdon, 1995) * policy borrowing/transfer (Dolowitz & Marsh, 1996)

20 Theoretical explanations: POWER, PREFERENCES Political science: * actor-centered institutionalism (Mayntz & Scharpf, 1995; Scharpf 1997) * North (1990)

21 Bologna: quo vadis? - A new process building on the Bologna initiative - Scepticism, gradual disinterest

22 Thank you!