Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Creating a common grammar for European higher education governance

  • Published:
Higher Education Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This paper addresses the interaction between European Union policies and national higher education sectors in the countries involved in the TRUE project (England, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and Switzerland) making the case for European governance. Relevant for this matter is the role of political processes that evolve at European level shaping political discourses and practices, thus creating a common grammar for European higher education governance. By empirically focusing on evaluation and funding policies the paper argues that European governance reflects in how this common grammar is being created and reconfiguring the environment within which European higher education systems and institutions are developing.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. The perceptions were labeled from “not important” to “extremely important” on a four ordinal scale.

References

  • Amaral, A., & Neave, G. (2009). On Bologna, weasels and creeping competence. In A. Amaral, G. Neave, C. Musselin, & P. Maassen (Eds.), European integration and the governance of higher education and research (pp. 281–299). Dordrecht: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Amaral, A., Rosa, M. J., & Tavares, D. A. (2009). Supra-national accreditation, trust and institutional autonomy: Contrasting developments of accreditation in the United States and Europe. Higher Education Management and Policy, 21(3), 15–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Amaral, A., & Veiga, A. (2010). The European higher education area: Various perspectives on the complexities of a multi-level governance system. In Paper presented at the 17th international conference of Council for European Studies, April 1517, Montreal, Canadá

  • Attali, J. (1998). Pour un modèle européen d’enseignement supérieur. Ministère de l’Education Nationale, de la Recherche et de la Technologie, Paris.

  • Balzer, C., & Martens, K. (2004). International higher education and the Bologna process: What part does the European commission play? In Paper presented at the epsNET 2004 plenary conference, Charles University, Prague.

  • Bergen Communiqué. (2005). The European higher education areaachieving the goals. Bergen.

  • Berlin Communiqué. (2003). Realizing the European higher education area. Berlin.

  • Borrás, S., & Jacobsson, K. (2004). The open method of co-ordination and new governance patterns in the EU. Journal of European Public Policy, 11(2), 185–208.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • CHEPS. (2007a). The extent and impact of higher education governance reform across Europe—Final report to the Directorate-General for Education and Culture of the European Commission (Vol. 1). Enschede.

  • CHEPS. (2007b). The extent and impact of higher education governance reform across Europe—Final report to the Directorate-General for Education and Culture of the European Commission (Vol. 3). Enschede.

  • CHEPS. (2008). Progress in higher education reform across Europe—Funding Reform—Report to the Directorate General for Education and Culture of the European Commission (Vol. 1). Enschede.

  • Dale, R. (2007a). Globalization and the rescaling of educational governance: A case of sociological ectopia. In C. A. Torres & A. Teodoro (Eds.), Critique and Utopia: New developments in the sociology of education in the twenty-first century (pp. 25–42). New York: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dale, R. (2007b). Repairing the deficits of modernity—the emergence of parallel discourses in higher education in Europe. In D. Epstein, R. Boden, R. Deem, F. Rizvi, & S. Wright (Eds.), World yearbook of education 2008 (pp. 14–31). London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dill, D. (2007). Will market competition assure academic quality? An analysis of the UK and US experience. In D. Westerheijden, B. Stensaker, & M. J. Rosa (Eds.), Quality assurance in higher education (pp. 47–72). Dordrecht: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • ENQA. (2005). European standards and guidelines. Brussels: European Quality Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • European Commission. (2000). Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions—Towards a European research area. Brussels.

  • European Commission. (2001). European Governance—a White Paper. Brussels.

  • European Commission. (2004). Report from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on the Implementation of Council Recommendation 98/561/EC of 24 September 1998 on European cooperation in quality assurance in higher education. Brussels.

  • European Commission. (2006a). Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament—Delivering on the modernisation agenda for universities: education, research and innovation. Brussels.

  • European Commission. (2006b). Progress towards the Lisbon objectives in education and training. Brussels.

  • European Commission. (2008). A more research-intensive and integrated European Research Area Science, Technology and Competitiveness key figures report 2008/2009. Brussels.

  • European Commission. (2009). Report from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions—Report on progress in quality assurance in higher education. Brussels.

  • European Commission. (2010). Documento de Avaliação da Estratégia de Lisboa. Brussels.

  • European Commission. (2011). Progress Towards the Common European Objectives in Education and Training—Indicators and benchmarks 2010/2011. Brussels.

  • European Council. (1998). Council Recommendation (EC) No 561/98 of 24 September 1998 on European cooperation in quality assurance in higher education. Brussels.

  • European Council. (2000). Council Resolution of 15 June 2000 on establishing a European area of research and innovation. Brussels.

  • European Council. (2002). Presidency Conclusions of Barcelona European Council.

  • European Council. (2007). Council Resolution on modernising universities for Europe’s competitiveness in a global knowledge economy. Brussels.

  • European Council. (2009). Council conclusions of 12 May 2009 on a strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training (‘ET 2020’). Brussels.

  • European Parliament, & Council. (2006). Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 February 2006 on further European cooperation in quality assurance in higher education. Brussels.

  • Ferlie, E., Musselin, C., & Andresani, G. (2009). The governance of higher education systems: A public management perspective. In C. Paradeise, E. Reale, I. Bleiklie, & E. Ferlie (Eds.), University governance: Western European comparative perspective (pp. 1–19). Dordrecht: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • France. (2009). National Report (France) 2007–2009.

  • Germany. (2009). National Report (Germany) 2007–2009. KMK, HRK and BMBF.

  • Geuna, A. (2001). The changing rationale for European university research funding: Are there negative and unintended consequences? Journal of Economic Issues, XXXV(1), 607–632.

  • Gornitzka, Å. (2010). Bologna in context: A horizontal perspective on the dynamics of governance sites for a Europe of knowledge. European Journal of Education, 45(4), 535–548.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guzman, A. T., & Meyer, T. (2009). Explaining Soft Law. Research Paper nº 1353444: UC Berkeley Public Law.

  • Hall, P., & Taylor, R. (1996). Political science and the three institutionalisms (pp. 936–957). XLIV: Political Studies.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harvey, L. (2008). Using the European standards and guidelines: Some concluding remarks. In A. Beso, L. Bollaert, B. Curvale, H. Toft Jensen, L. Harvey, & E. Helle, et al. (Eds.), Implementing and using quality assurance: Strategy and practice: A selection of papers form the 2nd European Quality Assurance Forum (Vol. EUA case studies). Brussels: European University Association.

  • Italy. (2009). National Report 2007–2009.

  • Kjaer, A. (2010). Governance. Cambridge: Polity.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kjaer, P. (2010). Between governing and governance: On the emergence, function and form of Europe’s post-national constellation. Oxford: Hart Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maassen, P. (2006). The modernisation of European higher education: A multi-level analysis. In Directors general for higher education meeting, Helsinki, Finland.

  • Machado dos Santos, S. (2011). Análise Comparativa dos Processos Europeus para a Avaliação e Certificação de Sistemas Internos de Garantia de Qualidade (A3ES Readings). Lisboa: Agência de Avaliação e Acreditação do Ensino Superior.

    Google Scholar 

  • March, J. G., & Olsen, J. P. (1995). Democratic governance. New York: The Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Neave, G., & Van Vught, H. (1991). Prometeus bound—the changing relationships between government and higher education in Western Europe. Exeter: Pergamon Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • OECD. (2008). Tertiary education for the knowledge society. OCDE Thematic Review of Tertiary Education. Paris: OECD.

  • Osborne, S. (2010). The new public governance: Emerging perspectives on the theory and practice of public governance. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Paradeise, C., Reale, E., Bleiklie, I., & Ferlie, E. (2009). University governance: Western European comparative perspectives. Dordrecht: Springer.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Pavitt, K. (1998). The inevitable limits of EU & R&D funding. Research Policy, 27, 559–568.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peters, G. (2010). Meta-governance and public management. In S. Osborne (Ed.), In the new public governance? Emerging perspectives on the theory and practice of public governance (pp. 87–104). London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pollack, M. (2000). The end of creeping competence? EU policy-making since Maastricht. Journal of Common Market Studies, 38(3), 519–538.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pollit, C., & Bouckaert, G. (2004). Public management reform: A comparative analysis. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Portugal. (2009). National Report (Portugal) 2007–2009.

  • Rosa, M. J., & Amaral, A. (2007). A self-assessment of higher education institutions from the perspective of EFQM excellence model. In D. Westerheijden, B. Stensaker, & M. J. Rosa (Eds.), Quality assurance in higher education (pp. 181–208). Dordrecht: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenau, J., & Czempiel, E. (2000). Governance without government: Order and change in world politics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Salamon, L. (2002). The new governance and the tools of public action: An introduction. In L. Salamon (Ed.), The tools of government: A guide to the new governance. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sarrico, C., Rosa, M. J., Teixeira, P., & Cardoso, M. F. (2010). Assessing quality and evaluating performance in higher education: Worlds apart or complementary views? Minerva, 48, 35–54.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stensaker, B. (2007). Quality as a fashion: Exploring the translation of a management idea into higher education. In D. Westerheijden, B. Stensaker, & M. J. Rosa (Eds.), Quality assurance in higher education (pp. 99–118). Dordrecht: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • The Netherlands. (2009). National Report (The Netherlands) 2007–2009.

  • United Kingdom. (2009). National Report (United Kingdom) 2007–2009.

  • Veiga, A. (2010). Bologna and the institutionalisation of European higher education area. University of Porto: Doctoral Thesis (2 vols.), Porto.

  • Veiga, A., & Amaral, A. (2006). The open method of coordination and the implementation of the Bologna process. Tertiary Education and Management, 12(4), 283–295.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Veiga, A., & Amaral, A. (2009). Policy implementation tools and European governance. In A. Amaral, G. Neave, C. Musselin, & P. Maassen (Eds.), European integration and the governance of higher education and research (pp. 133–157). Dordrecht: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Westerheijden, D. (2007). States and Europe and quality of higher education. In D. Westerheijden, B. Stensaker, & M. J. Rosa (Eds.), Quality assurance in higher education (pp. 73–95). Dordrecht: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Witte, J., Huisman, J., & Purser, L. (2009). European higher education reforms in the context of the Bologna process: How did we get here, where are we, and where are we going? In OECD (Ed.), OECD higher education to 2030 (Vol. 2, pp. 205–229). Paris: OECD Publishing.

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research was funded by National Funds through the support of FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia under the framework of the EuroHESC/0001/2008 project.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to António Magalhães.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Magalhães, A., Veiga, A., Ribeiro, F.M. et al. Creating a common grammar for European higher education governance. High Educ 65, 95–112 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-012-9583-7

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-012-9583-7

Keywords

Navigation