TRANSFERRING EU HIGHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS: THE ROLE OF INTERNATIONAL OFFICE PROFESSIONALS IN THIRD COUNTRIES

Date

2025-1

Author

Akpınar, Burcu

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The European Union (EU) has become a major player in higher education over the years, although it does not have direct competence in this policy area. In time, the primary aim of encouraging cooperation between the Member States in the field of education has expanded beyond its members, particularly through an increasing number of initiatives such as the Bologna Process and the Erasmus Program. In the literature, the impact of the EU on the non-EU countries has been highlighted by various factors such as the growing geographic reach, funding, and participation rates. To identify such impacts, this study examines the perception, interpretation, and implementation of EU higher education programs within their internationalization practices by higher education institutions in selected three countries namely Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republic of Kazakhstan, and People’s Republic of China. To investigate this objective, this study uses qualitative research methods, in which qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews conducted with the International Office Professional (IOPs) from 13 institutions in these countries. The thesis combines policy transfer literature with bottom-up Europeanization. The IOPs are the main unit of analysis in this study. By highlighting the significance of institutional filters and domestic contexts, the findings draw attention to the complexities in implementing the EU initiatives in non-EU countries. This study demonstrates that institutionalization and implementation of EU programs are also shaped by the institutional and national internationalization strategies and the nature of country’s relations with the EU.

Subject Keywords

Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republic of Kazakhstan, People’s Republic of China, European Union, Higher Education

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/113411

Collections

Graduate School of Social Sciences, Thesis