Understanding the internationalization of higher education as a policy process. The case of Romania

Doctoral thesis (2016)

This doctoral thesis analyzes internationalization of higher education in Romania as a both an international norm diffusion process and as a discrete policy process, in a wider context of post-communist ... [more ▼]

This doctoral thesis analyzes internationalization of higher education in Romania as a both an international norm diffusion process and as a discrete policy process, in a wider context of post-communist transition. It is conceived as a study of policy for policy, with the explicit aim of contributing to better decision-making at the national and institutional levels. As such, it is intended to facilitate a strategic pursuit of internationalization strategies in Romania, which may further inform our understanding of other similar (post-communist transition) national cases. The research objective is to understand the internationalization of higher education as a distinct policy process at the national and university level, by using a five-point star model of the policy field, which highlights the multiplicity of actors involved and acts as a ‘cat’s cradle’. A multi-theory approach for higher education governance is used for unpacking the complexity of this policy field. Stakeholder and resource dependency theories are employed for understanding the articulation of the interests, capacities and interactions between the actors, while discursive institutionalism is used to look at the role of ideas (norms) mobilized by actors to influence policy change and to construct policy frames. In terms of scope, the thesis addresses the rationales, drivers and impacts of internationalization of higher education, as well as its strategic use by relevant actors. The conclusion yields that internationalization in Romania, especially at the national level, is more a fruit of the existing context – the overall globalization trends, the Bologna Process and the EU pre- and post-accession policy processes – than a deliberate strategic pursuit based on either foresight or long term planning. Political and economic rationales are predominant, to the detriment of those linked to social and cultural considerations, given the competing pressures linked to the demographic downturn, reduced public funding to universities, the perceived need to ‘catch-up with Europe’ and the global competitiveness imperative. Another finding is that internationalization of higher education has never reached the stage of policy formulation at the national level and in most Romanian universities; it was used as a legitimating discourse within higher education reform, but a genuine commitment to comprehensive internationalization policies was lacking, leading to an over-reliance on European programs and a narrow focus on mobility and research partnerships. When looking at the agents of change, it can be inferred that success in pursuing internationalization activities was mostly influenced by policy entrepreneurs and leadership commitment and continuity, regardless of the institutional profile. At the same time, Romania has proven to be an exceptional laboratory for understanding internationalization as a distinctive public policy process within the higher education sector. This is due to the double centralization legacy of the higher education system (caused by its Napoleonic model of higher education system and the communist influence) and the over-sized influence of international actors in policy reform (e.g. UNESCO CEPES and the World Bank). A number of the overall conclusions, mainly aimed at improving decision-making at the national level, are also potentially relevant for a wider regional audience: the need to minimize the over-reliance on international funds and technical assistance of international organizations; limiting over-regulation based on international norms; and improving the national role in the global discussions on internationalization and fighting double discourse. This latter aspect points to the difficulties of replicating policy concepts across borders in a non-contextualized form, especially when domestic contexts differ significantly from the pioneering setting of a given policy. [less ▲]

Internationalization of Higher Education—What Can Research Add to the Policy Debate?

in Curaj, Adrian; Matei, Liviu; Pricopie, Remus (Eds.) et al The European Higher Education Area - Between Critical Reflections and Future Policies (2015)

Governance in the Romanian Higher Education System

in Leadership and Governance in Higher Education (2015)

Higher Education Reforms in Romania. Between the Bologna Process and National Challenges

Book published by Springer (2015)

Internationalisation of higher education in Romanian national and institutional contexts

in Salmi, Jamil; Egron Polak, Eva; Curaj, Adrian (Eds.) et al Romania. Between the Bologna Process and National Challenges/ Priorities (2014)

Evidence-Basing the Future of the EHEA

in Journal of the European Higher Education Area (2014), (3),

The EHEA has been launched in 2010 with the wider goal of ensuring more comparable, compatible and coherent systems of higher education in Europe. This initiative, deemed by many observers as one of the ... [more ▼]

The EHEA has been launched in 2010 with the wider goal of ensuring more comparable, compatible and coherent systems of higher education in Europe. This initiative, deemed by many observers as one of the most successful regional cooperation process in the field of higher education policies, relies on soft-coordination mechanisms grounded on the principle of evidence-based policy making (Deca, 2013). The present article aims at illustrating the way in which European level policy decisions have so far been grounded on evidence, while making the case for potential additional tools that could contribute to achieving the EHEA goals: data analytics, semantic analysis and ‘big data’ approaches. [less ▲]

The discursive uses of the Bologna Process in Romanian Higher Education reform

Scientific Conference (2013, June 20)

Since its inception in Sorbonne (2008), the Bologna Process or part of its action lines have been ‘framed’ in different ways in national contexts by various actors, in order to legitimize the change in ... [more ▼]

Since its inception in Sorbonne (2008), the Bologna Process or part of its action lines have been ‘framed’ in different ways in national contexts by various actors, in order to legitimize the change in higher education brought about with the pretext of the adherence to this voluntary intergovernmental initiative. The present paper seeks to contribute to better understanding the way in which the Bologna Process appears in the Romanian public discourse of various actors, across more than a decade since the first European Higher Education Area ministerial meeting (1999). Attention will be paid to when, why and by whom the Bologna Process and other international influences were used in the Romanian public discourse. The conclusions of the paper will analyse the level of discursive Europeanisation in Romanian higher education between 1999-2012, problematising the manner in which the ‘external constraint’ represented by the process is used (or opposed) as a strategic resource in the domestic arena. [less ▲]

Making students active partners in the internationalisation efforts of higher education institutions

in Internationalisation of Higher Education (2010), 7

The institutional capacity to attain an international profile seems to be the standard by which con-temporary institutional leaders are judged. This article aims at capturing the student view on the ... [more ▼]

The institutional capacity to attain an international profile seems to be the standard by which con-temporary institutional leaders are judged. This article aims at capturing the student view on the internationalisation of higher education, stressing the opportunities, threats and challenges, while making a case for student involvement as a key element in designing and implementing successful internationalisation strategies at institutional level. The article’s viewpoint is based on the author’s two years of experience as Chairperson of the European Students’ Union, a one-year mandate as President of the National Alliance of Students Organisations in Romania and as a student in a uni-versity with a clear internationalisation commitment – the Constanta Maritime University. Some of the views presented in the article were voiced at the 2009 European University Association Autumn Conference in Giessen. [less ▲]

Student Freedom in University Life

in Calzoari, Pier Ugo (Ed.) Past, Present and Future of the Magna Charta Universitatum. Proceedings of the Conference of the Magna Charta Observatory (2009, June)