Governing in the shadow of Bologna: return of the state in higher education quality assurance policy

Abstract

The Bologna process emerged as a voluntary network of higher education systems, but within a few years it has gradually transformed into a new form of governance closely linked to the EU. This implies the return of executive power, though by using new tools and arenas. The article aims to analyse to which extent this shift in governing in the Bologna process is evident in higher education of Estonia. The analysis revealed similar developments in higher education quality assurance at both European and domestic levels, characterised by strengthening of executive agencies which govern by data and quality standards. Semi-structured interviews demonstrated that executive actors are better adjusted to the new situation of governance compared to legislative actors. While members of parliament and interest group representatives commonly failed to distinguish between the Bologna process and the EU Lisbon agenda, executive actors efficiently used the European agenda to advance domestic quality assurance reforms. Moreover, in contrast with parliamentary representatives, civil servants understood the need to reconfigure existing policy networks that may eventually further strengthen the position of executives in higher education policy.