In this article, the author offers an analysis of the Bologna process that draws from Foucault's theory. The author focuses on the objectives and orientations of the process and explains why the process was originally initiated. By mobilizing the concept of "episteme" and "legitimacy", the author highlights the role of the…

This issue and the winter 2007-2008 issue (vol. 39, no. 4) of "European Education" address the implications of competition for the future of European higher education. Studies bear on the initiatives taken over the past few years in Europe to enhance the harmonization of European higher education systems and particularly the Bologna…

This paper examines fragility, capacity development and education and the links between these by analysing relevant research and policy literature. It proposes ways forward for action and reflection at national, regional and international levels. An important element of capacity development in education systems is the establishment of education…

The reform of South Eastern European country vocational education and training (VET) systems has been underway for more than a decade. Initially major efforts focused on reforming the curricula of the vocational schools and training centres to align them better with the rapidly changing needs of the labour market and society. Later the focus moved…

This study analyzes the social and historical reasons for higher education reforms in Central and East European universities after the collapse of communist regimes, in order to answer the central question of this study: To what extent were the national features eliminated in Central and Eastern Europe by the implementation of the 3-5-8 model and…

The article addresses the way in which EU policy-making operates, explains the relevance of "lifelong learning" for the European Commission and analyses the mechanisms by which the Commission has advanced policy-making in education and training since the Lisbon Summit. The article reviews in particular the alleged lack of effectiveness…

This is a report of the third meeting of the Mediterranean Comparative Education Society (MESCE) that took place in Malta in May 2008. The full programme can be accessed at: http://www.educ.um.edu.mt/mesce/cprogramme.html. The conference was attended by around 130 people from different countries in the Mediterranean and beyond but concentrated,…

This article focuses on the changing nature of education governance in Europe. It looks at the shifting discourses and policy practices in the ways in which the European Commission has aligned itself to education and discusses the reasons for what is presented as a substantial shift in the tools and resources for governing the European education…

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to analyse critically the youth labour market (YLM) and the YLM policies in Portugal. The analysis covers essentially the period after 1986, when Portugal entered the European Union. Design/methodology/approach: The paper consists of three main sections. In the first the main players dealt with (government,…

In this paper, the author discusses the adoption of the Western Enlightenment paradigm in East European higher education. It is important to note that while postsocialist transition slowed toward the late 1990s, change in East European higher education has been strongly influenced by creating the European higher education area, or the Bologna…

In 2000, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) launched the programme "Learning Regions--Providing Support for Networks'" in cooperation with the Lander. It was co-financed by the European Social Fund (ESF). Some 90 regions were selected and financially supported. After one year, 71 regions continued to build-up…

The Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) is a regional tuition-reciprocity agreement that enables students from WICHE (Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education) states to enroll in participating two- and four-year public institutions at 150 percent of the enrolling institution's resident tuition. WUE has been operating for more than 20…

Discusses savings resulting from a cooperative film library formed by the University of Wisconsin and thirteen school districts. (BD)

The coincident arrival of a European policy space in education and a European Educational Research Association [EERA], and their subsequent relation, will be the subject of this paper. EERA is a hybrid organization--it supports scientific networking, it is a social partner in EU policy, it is a first level social space for networking, and…

With the processes of globalization and localization, the local availability of knowledge and skills, and the transfer of technology and innovation to industry, small and medium-sized enterprises and the wider society have become increasingly important. In recent years, there have been many initiatives across Organization for Economic Cooperation…