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.

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 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.

scholarly journals European Students in the Bologna Process

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manja Klemencic
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Bologna Process ◽  
Student Organizations ◽  
Active Part ◽  
European Level ◽  
Student Interests ◽  
European Students ◽  
European Higher Education ◽  
The Bologna Process

One of the student organizations in Europe has played a particularly visible role in the Bologna process. ESIB (the National Unions of Students in Europe), which has been renamed ESU (European Students' Union [www.esib.org]), has taken active part in the Bologna process, ensuring that student interests were reflected in its policies. At the same time, ESU used the process to upgrade its visibility and role in European higher education policymaking in general. The Bologna process has thus unexpectedly also created circumstances that led to cooperation among the student unions and strengthened their resolve to empower ESIB to represent them on the European level.

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.

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