International Policy Transfer in Post-Communist States

Abstract

This study aims to explore international policy transfer (IPT) through examining educational reforms in Kazakhstan. Literature on policy transfer lacks cases between Western countries and post-communist states with a Soviet legacy. This study used the IPT framework as a heuristic device to analyze the Bologna Process (BP), an intergovernmental higher education process. Empirical data included semi-structured interviews with BP stakeholders and thematic analyses of official documents to examine the stages of accession transfer. The findings demonstrated that a Soviet legacy constrains the policy transfer process during accession stages, limiting the policy transfer process from the West and leading to incomplete transfers.