Decolonization of higher education policy and practice has become an increasing concern and interest in recent years. This article provides a critical review of the application of decolonization to higher education. It discusses what its proponents mean by the term and how they seek to apply it in practice. It identifies outstanding issues with…

The issues that social researchers study and policymakers address are partly determined by how they think about the world around them. Their view of the social world often depends on their position within it. What their research reveals and their policies propose are, in part, a reflection of where they choose to look and how they interpret the…

Whilst research works have identified many actors involved in higher education public policymaking in the Ghanaian context, there is a paucity of empirical studies on how the application of a quadruple helix network of policy actors considered essential constituents of higher education provision could create added value to strengthen the…

Community colleges offer access to higher education for many who otherwise would not be able to attend college, including academically underprepared students, students from low-income backgrounds, and place-bound adults. Recently, some community colleges have diverged from this historical mission and embraced "mission expansion."…

This article develops a country case study on the Polish higher education (HE) system governance regime by using the governance equalizer model to analyse how each reform over the last three decades has altered its formal power structure. In particular, we focus on the most recent HE governance reform (Law 2.0), which has not yet been addressed…

This article explores ways in which higher education (HE) slogans, together with related frameworks and policies, increasingly invade the personal, cultural and positional values of individual staff and students. After a quick exploration of examples of embedded university values that are expected to be 'lived', the article outlines some epistemic…

In this final chapter, we reflected on the collective works presented in this volume by a diverse group of community college scholars and leaders. Through this reflection, we share how this scholarship sought to operationalize and enhance the definitions of equity-driven and social justice-oriented leadership in community colleges. After…

The lack of a strategic framework for post-16 education provision, combined with a confusing regulatory regime, is resulting in an incoherent and difficult to navigate offer for learners of all ages, as well as employers. In this HEPI report, Professor David Phoenix emphasises that to meet England's ever more pressing skills needs and realise the…

This paper addresses the current debates, anxieties, and perceptions around the idea of scholarly artistic research within doctoral studies, internationally and in South Africa. A common point of contention, both in South Africa and in the international arena, is the reluctance within institutional structures and external bodies to accept…

Adoption of the "Double World-Class" policy in China has led to substantial changes in the country's higher education governance system. Thus, to examine whether any undesired effects have occurred, in this study, we conducted document analysis along with purposive interviews to gather pertinent data on one local university that has been…

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…

Initiatives to build research universities to have world-class universities, the creator and the disseminator of scientific knowledge in knowledge-based economies, are among the most important policy reactions in higher education systems. With an increase in demands on greater accountability, transparency, and efficiency, studies investigating the…

The thesis by publication is expanding across countries, institutions and disciplines, and so a more in-depth understanding of the format across contexts is warranted, to ensure that all stakeholders understand the implications of this format and implement it in a fair and transparent manner. This paper provides a cross-sectional analysis of…

Underlying current research on China's world-class university (WCU) policy approaches are analytical foci that privilege the agency of social actors and the problem-solving approach to policy analysis. Foucauldian poststructuralists draw our attention to policy document, which is seen as a discourse that organizes and administers society. Inspired…

This article draws on interviews with 41 equality and diversity staff in higher education institutions in England who were not members of the Race Equality Charter (REC). It uses the concept of Whiteness and White privilege to argue that within the framework of White normative practices, the role of equality and diversity staff are used as a…