Change of Degrees and Degrees of Change
Comparing adaptions of european higher education systems in the context of the Bologna Process The Bologna process is often associated with increasing similarity among European higher education systems in general and national degree structures in particular. However, this study finds only slight convergence so far. In a detailed analysis of seven dimensions, it maps and compares the changes of national degree structures and concomitant adaptations in the higher education systems of Germany, the Netherlands, France, and England between 1998 and 2004. In addition to national degree structures, the analysis includes the relationship between different types of higher education institutions, curricular governance, curricula, access, transition to employment, and funding. The study shows how policy change was shaped by different national starting points for reform and the capabilities, preferences, and perceptions of major actors and their interaction in the policy formulation process. It draws on North’s theory of institutional change and Mayntz and Scharpf’s actor-centered institutionalism.
This book is relevant for researchers of higher education studies and comparative policy as well as for policy makers and practitioners involved in the Bologna reforms. It gives in-depth insight into the policy processes behind these reforms and provides empirically-founded arguments for those seeking to contribute to the future course of developments.
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