scholarly journals Taking Stock of the Bologna Process at 20: The Possibilities and Limits of Soft Law Governance

2020 ◽  
pp. 417-436
Author(s):  
Ligia Deca ◽  
Robert Harmsen
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Education Policy ◽  
Higher Education Policy ◽  
Regional Cooperation ◽  
Bologna Process ◽  
Balance Sheet ◽  
Soft Law ◽  
Governance Model ◽  
Nuanced Understanding ◽  
The Bologna Process

Abstract The Bologna Process stands as both an exemplar of regional cooperation in the higher education policy sector and as a comparatively successful instance of the use of so-called ‘soft law governance’ policy instruments. While the formal launch of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) in 2010 represents a significant milestone in the process, it nevertheless left many politically sensitive questions unanswered. Today, as this pan-European process now marks two decades of existence, many of the questions concerned with the direction and purpose of the process are being addressed with increasing urgency. Against this background, the present paper specifically focuses on recent debates surrounding the (non-)implementation of key commitments; on the functioning of the EHEA as a policy forum in relation to both its own membership and the wider international higher education policy landscape; and on the manner in which the EHEA may respond to increasingly serious challenges to the fundamental values that underpin the process. The authors draw on both the substantial body of scholarship that has emerged on the process and practitioner insights to examine its past achievements and current challenges, while having in mind the specificity of the EHEA as a policy process in a complex European context. Finally, the paper underlines the need for a more nuanced understanding of the EHEA governance model, based on an overall balance sheet that suggests the likely direction(s) of the process going forward.

Critical viewpoints on the Bologna Process in Europe: Can we do otherwise?

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monne Wihlborg
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Education Policy ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Higher Education Policy ◽  
Bologna Process ◽  
Critical Reasoning ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
European Higher Education ◽  
The Bologna Process ◽  
Over Time

The starting point for this inductive study is to determine, through a search of studies, what critical viewpoints in terms of research are delivered, based on experiences, observations and evaluation, concerning the Bologna Process over time? The aim is to present a description using a thematic analysis based on data from 38 papers (2004–2016) that reveal the critical reasoning behind the research. The reasoning is critical in the sense that various authors have elaborated on and problematized aspects of the Bologna Process in terms of what to avoid and/or have characterized aspects related to the Bologna Process that are not desirable. Based on the outcome of the thematic analysis, theorists were selected in order to deepen the reasoning and meaning highlighted in three themes. The findings are further discussed in terms of knowledge and curriculum development for the future and the advancement of European higher education policy and beyond on equal terms. The article suggests that there are causes for concern regarding unwanted consequences in the aftermath of the Bologna Process.

scholarly journals “The Bologna Process” A European Response to Global Competition in Higher Education

1969 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 109-125
Author(s):  
Hans Pechar
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Education Policy ◽  
Higher Education Policy ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
Bologna Process ◽  
The Other ◽  
Global Competition ◽  
European Level ◽  
European Higher Education ◽  
The Bologna Process

The Bologna Process is the most important recent development in higher education policy at the European level. Initially North America observed this reorganisation of Europe’s higher education architecture with some scepticism and even mild irony – if not outright ignoring it. More recently, however, the obvious success of attempts to create a “European Higher Education Area” has increased the interest on the other side of the Atlantic. This paper provides a short overview of the initial goals of the Bologna Process, the present state of implementation, and of the diffi culties this process faces. I begin by asking to what extent a European level of higher education policy making exists at all and what is its signifi cance.

scholarly journals The Europeanisation of Higher Education in the Netherlands

2005 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 208-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Litjens
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Education Policy ◽  
Higher Education Policy ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Bologna Process ◽  
The European Union ◽  
The Bologna Process ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Bologna Agreement

This article examines the extent to which higher education policy in the Netherlands is becoming Europeanised. This issue is explored through the case of the Bologna Process and the impact of Bachelor-Master's (BAMA) Programmes on Dutch higher education policy. Changes in higher education, such as increasing competitiveness and decentralisation, have increased the need for new regulations on a European level. Although the European Union does not have much legal authority in the policy section in question, Europeanisation of higher education is becoming increasingly apparent. The Bologna Agreement, in particular, has been a major push for the integration of the European dimension in Dutch higher education policy. Besides giving a general literature overview of the policy development and implementation of the Bologna Agreement, this article discusses the effects of the Bologna Process on the Dutch Ministry of Education, the VSNU (Association of Dutch Universities) and Dutch higher education institutions. Some interesting insights are provided by interviews that were held with officials working in these sectors.

Are British higher educational concerns different from European higher educational concerns?

2008 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 50-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marte Mangset
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Education Policy ◽  
Higher Education Policy ◽  
Bologna Process ◽  
National Policy ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Degree Structure ◽  
Higher Educational ◽  
Increasing Demand ◽  
The Bologna Process

British universities are known among the other Bologna countries not to have adjusted fully to the new common three-tier degree structure. Is it the case that British higher educational concerns are different from Continental concerns? A study of recent developments in two British graduate schools of history shows that a three-tier study structure was generalised in British universities 15 years ahead of Bologna as the one-year taught master's degree gained ground. This article argues that there were similar concerns related to massification and to an increasing demand for efficiency and employability in British, French and Norwegian higher education policy. These common concerns have been met by common reform measures in the three countries: a transition from individual and unstructured postgraduate degrees to structured and skill-oriented taught degrees. In contrast to the situation in other European countries, the Bologna Process has not represented a legitimate framework for higher education policy in Britain. However, British universities have proved susceptible both to national policy measures and to foreign university models. If the Bologna Process gradually appears as a strong and unified model, the British universities might not be immune to change.

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