Universities and the Europe of Knowledge Ideas, Institutions and Policy Entrepreneurship in European Union Higher Education 1955-2003

by Corbett, Anne

• ISBN13: 9781403932457
• ISBN10: 140393245X
• eBook ISBN(s): 9780230286467
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-11-29
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Summary

This is a story of the EC at work over fifty years, seen from the perspective of a developing European higher education policy. The book provides a rich background narrative to current strategic efforts to develop the Europe of Knowledge, and to the Bologna Process. Its analytic interest in ideas and individual "policy entrepreneurs" underpins the story and advances understanding of the EU policy process and of the phenomenon of policy entrepreneurship.

Author Biography

Anne Corbett is a Visiting Fellow at The Interdisciplinary Institute of Management, London School of Economics.

Table of Contents

List of Abbreviations	ix
Preface	xi
Part I Universities and the Europe of Knowledge	1	(22)
Ideas Do Not Arrive Out of the Blue	3	(20)
The changing Community context, 1955--2005	8	(2)
EC higher education in the literature	10	(3)
Policy change: the conceptual and theoretical choice	13	(3)
The concept of entrepreneurship	16	(3)
EC higher education as a case study	19	(2)
The structure of the book	21	(2)
Part II The Creation and Development of an EC Higher Education Policy	23	(126)
Origins: The Proposal for a European Community University, 1955--57	25	(10)
Presenting a novel idea	25	(4)
Negotiating a policy commitment	29	(6)
Conflicting Visions of Europeanised Higher Education, 1958--61	35	(14)
Establishing a venue for policy-making	35	(3)
Devising a design	38	(5)
Walking into conflict	43	(1)
Presenting a strategic plan	44	(3)
Removing Community competence	47	(1)
Alternative specification and the building of shared beliefs	47	(2)
Experimenting with Intergovermentalism, 1961--69	49	(11)
Finding a venue for cooperation	49	(5)
Returning to EC institutions	54	(4)
Matching ideas and venues	58	(2)
Creating a Policy Domain for Education, 1970--72	60	(16)
Doing a deal on cooperation	60	(3)
Establishing a rudimentary bureaucracy	63	(7)
Staking out a Community agenda	70	(3)
Deciding on a Community policy domain	73	(3)
Stabilising the Policy Domain, 1973--76	76	(21)
Presenting a Community policy	76	(6)
Generating a winning vision	82	(7)
Obtaining Community funding	89	(2)
Developing informal capacity	91	(4)
Crafting a governing formula	95	(2)
Implementing the Action Programme in Education, 1976--84	97	(21)
Facing conflict over competence	97	(9)
Evolving a new strategy	106	(5)
Developing support for higher education	111	(4)
Resolving conflict	115	(3)
Attaining a Goal: The Erasmus Decision, 1985--87	118	(31)
Developing the Commissioner's programme	118	(5)
Facing the unexpected	123	(6)
Reaching the decision agenda	129	(3)
The Commission decision	132	(1)
The Council takes over	133	(8)
The European Council to the rescue	141	(5)
Explaining the decision	146	(3)
Part III The Europe of Knowledge -- Why the Idea Recurs	149	(43)
Policy Entrepreneurship in EU Higher Education: Process, Actions, Identities	151	(37)
Introduction	151	(7)
Policy making outside a recognised domain, 1955--72	158	(11)
Policy making within a recognised domain (i) 1973--76	169	(5)
Policy making within a recognised domain (ii) 1985	174	(7)
Policy entrepreneur effort and policy entrepreneur effectiveness	181	(7)
Conclusions	188	(4)
Epilogue: The Europe of Knowledge: A Renewed European Ambition	192	(22)
Developing the Bologna vision	194	(7)
Creating organisational capacity	201	(4)
Appendix Tables
Table 1 Higher Education in the Treaties	205	(4)
Table 2 Vocational Training in the Treaties	209	(2)
Table 3 Selected Policy Entrepreneurs and Policy Process in EC Higher Education Policy, 1955--87	211	(2)
Table 4 The Bologna Process Commitments to Institute a European Higher Education Area by 2010	213	(1)
Notes	214	(26)
Primary Sources	240	(8)
Bibliography	248	(8)
Index	256