Reform policies and change processes in Europe

Analyses of higher education reform policies and their effects on higher education systems come in different versions. In this chapter we shall explore a number of recent European reform experiences focusing on how the reforms reflect the role of the nation state and the relationship between states and universities. The analysis is based on data from a comparative study of higher education reform in seven countries; UK, the Netherlands, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Norway, and how steering and organization of universities have changed during the last twenty five years. We start by outlining three different theoretical perspectives and their corresponding "policy narratives" to identify possible "causes" understood as sequences of events that can explain reform policies as they unfold in different national settings. Then in part 3 we shall look at reform trends in the seven countries that may be regarded as common in a broad sense. We present itemised comparative reform histories since about 1980 and changes that have taken place, including central government regulation, system characteristics, organisation and governance of higher education institutions, degree structure and study programs. In part 4 we shall focus on path dependencies and peculiarities of the national reform experiences. This analysis ends with a discussion of the implication of the reforms for three vital characteristics political systems: multilevel governmental steering, the strength of the nation state and the vitality of democratic institutions.