Using a dataset of higher education institutional alliances within the framework of the European University initiative (EUi), we test empirically whether the policy-defined goal of a relative balance between "excellence and inclusiveness" within the scheme has been achieved. Specifically, we provide a descriptive and analytical account…

The European Union Framework Programme (EUFP) is the most institutionalised form of supranational thematic programming in the world and the centrepiece of European Union research policy. Since 1994, the EUFP has also funded collaborative research projects in the social sciences. Surprisingly, little attention has been paid to its genesis,…

Academic debate highlights the need to develop suitable teaching and training practices to accompany the implementation of universal design for learning (UDL) and inclusive higher education policies. This study addresses this need by investigating the relationship between knowledge and utilization of inclusive pedagogy, on the one hand, and the…

Does empirical evidence or ideology most influence homeschooling policy? It depends. Where empirical research and social experience abound, regulations seem less restrictive but where there is less data or experience policies seem more restrictive and ideologically driven. By comparing Europe and the United States with a look at South Africa,…

This paper analyses the potential of micro-credentials in adult education through upcoming EU policies and initiatives, bearing in mind the increasing use of online learning platforms globally. Understanding national and international approaches to micro-credentials allows undergraduate programmes and teaching practices to flourish in economically…

Discussions on citizenship always reflect broader political debates on the desired moral fabrics of a society. Evolving from a merely national subject, questions on children and young people's citizenship and citizenship education have over the past decades gained interest in European policy. Through a thematical-rhetorical analysis of European…

Europe is often characterized as being divided into four blocks of countries with their own distinct cultural, historical, political, and economic characteristics. The geopolitical diversity within the EU is also recognized in a wide variety of different traditions for ECEC and upbringing of children. Nowadays, new reforms and policy initiatives…

While European governance of individual policy sectors has received considerable academic scrutiny, less attention has been paid to the development of intersectoral coordination. This paper charts the emergence of a supranational boundary-spanning policy regime (BSPR) in education and employment in Europe. By looking at issues, ideas, interests…

The topic of citizenship education and the promotion of democratic citizenship in schools has risen to the top of educational policy agendas in Europe over the past three decades. This rise in attention, however, appears to be accompanied by an apparent lack of attention to the specific manner in which citizenship, education and the assumed…

This paper focuses on the interplay of European and national higher education policy in implementing a joint degree Erasmus Mundus programme on institutional level. We utilise the stakeholder approach to highlight and contrast the differing internationalisation rationales. Specifically, we analyse how the impact of external stakeholders (European…

This article provides an overview of major dimensions of the professional development of adult educators identified in European policy documents, relevant reports and research. The author reviews the relevant policy visions of the past two decades, aiming to determine the extent to which professional development of adult educators is visible in…

Although research on European education policy has aptly focused on the role of supranational and intergovernmental actors, less attention has been devoted to its analysis as a policy arena in which legitimacy can be created and power can be exerted in sophisticated ways. Specifically, the role of non-state actors as agenda-setters for European…

Applying qualitative methods, this paper examines the burgeoning of quality assurance databases, processes and networks of actors in the field of higher education in Europe. Our main argument is that there has been a move from the Bologna Process being the near singular focus for European-level coordination and harmonisation of higher education,…

Using data from 27 European countries in the academic years 2005/06, 2010/11, and 2015/16, we investigate the association between student funding policies and student labour during term time -- a phenomenon often seen as detrimental for higher education outcomes. Income substitution effects between entitlements to different types of financial aid…

This article examines the possibilities and challenges in turning a top-down action research project led by high-level public authorities into a shared and collaborative, multi-site and multi-professional bottom-up action research project. For this purpose, the article explores the initial stages of a European level action research project called…