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Higher Education Policy

, Volume 27, Issue 4, pp 509–528 | Cite as

Setting Policy Agenda for the Social Dimension of the Bologna Process

  • Yasemin Yagci
Article
First Online:

Abstract

Since 1999, the Bologna Process has been suggesting a series of reforms relating to structural and normative aspects of higher education, one of which is the social dimension. The social dimension entered into the Bologna Process as an ambiguous action area in 2001 and has remained so in terms of its policy measures. Despite this ambiguity and lack of action, the social dimension has not dropped off the Bologna Process agenda. The contribution addresses this curious situation and claims that the social dimension is a policy item that found a way into the Bologna Process agenda, but could not grow into an implementable policy. This claim is explained with the help of Multiple Streams Framework, a theoretical framework from policy process studies.

Keywords

Bologna Process social dimension agenda setting policy process 
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Copyright information

© International Association of Universities 2014

Authors and Affiliations

  • Yasemin Yagci
    • 1
  1. 1.International Centre for Higher Education Research Kassel, INCHER, University of KasselKasselGermany

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