Postsecondary Educational System and Institutionalization

By

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would take this opportunity to thank my research supervisor, family and friends for their support and guidance without which this research would not have been possible.

DECLARATION

I, [type your full first names and surname here], declare that the contents of this dissertation/thesis represent my own unaided work, and that the dissertation/thesis has not previously been submitted for academic examination towards any qualification. Furthermore, it represents my own opinions and not necessarily those of the University.

Signed __________________ Date _________________

ABSTRACT

In this paper, we have examined the post secondary educational system and the way in which this system represents the institutions inside United States and Europe. The WWI peace settlements led by the USA, Great Britain and France, and the Socialist revolution in Russia in 1917 changed the political map of Europe dramatically. The new world order was shaped by the ethnic principle of national self-determination, formulated by the American President Wilson.

An institutionalized organizational form was one that was profoundly resistant to change, regardless of whether the relevant adopters benefited from it in terms of efficiency and effectiveness. In Europe, most central research institutions were closed, merged, or reorganized to become affiliates of universities, and their staff was considerably reduced. With all the difficulties related to low budget allocations to research, especially in the early period of transition, Institunioalization raised questions about its implementation in America and Europe

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTII

DECLARATIONIII

ABSTRACTIV

Background of the Study1

Aims and Objectives2

Research Questions2

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW3

European Context7

The international factor in post-secondary education reforms in Europe8

Eastern Europe Scenario9

Responses to criticisms and the process of theoretical maturation10

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY13

CHAPTER 4: DISCUSSION14

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION18

REFERENCES20

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY20

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Scholars such Beckerman &Burrell ( 2004) and Conlon (2000), and others critique the functionalist approaches to comparative education for applying natural science laws to social science, for treating Western culture as the peak of civilization, and for considering the nation-state as the prime unit of analysis. They generate a rich discussion on globalization and the role of local inputs in policy making. World-system theorists insist on the primacy of the economic over political and cultural elements of globalization, while post-structuralist perspectives focus on discourses, governmentality and see the increasing role of cultural dimensions of globalization. However, overall critical theorists see globalization as a complex process, and move away from the economic, reductionist understanding of globalization to one that accounts for political and cultural dimensions as well, and entails both positive and negative features.

The WB and IMF have been important players in the European politics of higher education reforms since the early 1990s by promoting neo-liberal policies of privatization and New Public Management around the region and by advising specific policies of reorganization and funding in post-secondary education systems in particular nations (Cudmore, 2005). UNESCO, because of its different mandate and decision making process, as well as minimal financial resources, played a different role. It provided technical expertise, funded conferences and publications on post-secondary education reforms, and collected statistical data on post-secondary education through it Center (CEPES) in ...