The Bologna process and its impact on the higher education reforms in Kazakhstan: a case of policy transfer and translations

Abstract

ABSTRACT The paper examines Kazakhstan’s decision to join the Bologna Process (BP), its implementation, and its impact on the higher education system in the country. Many post-Soviet countries have joined the BP, while many developing countries are also aligning their higher education systems with it. A diverse body of literature attempts to address the questions as to why do countries engage in policy borrowing and what makes it successful. Through our in-depth primary case study of Kazakhstan and a comparative assessment of similar cases in the post-Soviet space researched by other scholars, we make twofold contribution to this literature. First, we argue that governments often borrow policies with less clearer objectives, making it difficult to evaluate ‘success’ or ‘failure’ of the policy transfer. Second, differentiating between the success of policy transfer itself and the achievement of its perceived or real goals, we contend that the success of policy transfer is not a guarantee for the achievement of policies’ original objectives which may be disappointing for both exporting and importing parties. In that, wide-ranging socio-political institutional differences explain the varied rationales and outcomes.