HIGHER EDUCATION FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE

Transcription

1 HIGHER EDUCATION FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE A project of academic cooperation in the field of governance in the Euro - Mediterranean region Carlos Conde Martínez Universidad de Granada, Spain

2 THEMATIC NETWORKS & THE EUROPEAN ACADEMIC SPACE Goal: Transnational strategics reflection concerning different academic disciplines and issues Tasks: Defining and updating sectoral competencies Promoting synergies between teaching and research Reinforcing the link between education and society Creating links with other continents

3 EPAN (1997 to present) COMPOSITION: 97 higher education institutions from 25 European countries ACTIVITIES: Analysis and evaluation of academic programs Europeanisation of academic programs Academic communities for the future: summer schools / PhD network Links with the profession Employability of graduates Relations with practical oriented professionals Bridging divides: platform for bilateral and multilateral cooperation

4 RELATIONS WITH THIRD Justification New priority for EU educational policy Agenda Practical issues (academic cooperation) Conceptual issues (relation governance / knowledge) Targets Wider Europe: NNP Countries: Meda,, Cards, Tacis Tempus program Other regions Latin America (Alfa program) ACP Developed countries COUNTRIES

5 POLIBIUS PROJECT An inventory of academic resources in the field of governance in the Mediterranean region

6 POLIBIUS PROJECT (1) Partners: o EPAN o Universidad de Granada, Spain o Leiden University, The Netherlands o Hungarian Institute for Public Administration, Hungary o Mediterranean Countries o Morocco o Algeria o Tunisia o Lebanon o Jordan o Egypt o Palestine o Syria o Turkey

7 POLIBIUS PROJECT (2) The inventory o Identification and analysis of academic resources o o o o Departments, programmes,, scholars, publications The dylemma discipline / problem Governance and public administration Evaluation: strengths, weaknesses, possibilities of action o o The process o Elaboration of Terms of Reference o Elaboration of National reports o Evaluation, publication and difussion o Budget: euro o Calendar: March 2005 March 2006 The outcome: Euro Mediterranean action plan for academic networking Bridging divides through strategic action South - South & North South Balancing European and Mediterranean interests

8 EVALUATING EPAN Success Making internationalisation an ordinary fact in academic life Creating a transnational professional identity Innovative projects Assuring excellence in traditional exchanges Building the European Education Space North South East West Bottom-up initiatives easily succeed Obstacles Difficulties for difussion and dissemination Very dependent on individual and institutional leadership Financial dependency on EU Difficulties for the development of common curricula Top-down initiatives usually fail

9 ACADEMIC COOPERATION FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE Practical aspects Defining instruments and best practices Exchanges: students, faculty Academic programs design Joint programs: regular, special events, summer courses ICT and cooperation The problem of funding Universities depend usually on external funding Objective: diversify sources of funding Measuring impact Actions have to be evaluated Avoiding undesirable effects: brain drain Avoiding image policies: agreements never implemented

10 ACADEMIC COOPERATION FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE Conceptual problems Governance across political systems Are we talking about the same concept? (i.e. Mediterranean case) Political change or administrative reform? Political system and degrees catalogue Which academic programs are included in the concept of governance? e? (i.e. Political Science vs. Law) Knowledge on governance and governance in practice Is transfer possible from academia to practice? Is academic knowledge useful for practitioners? Where is production of knowledge exactely happening? Scholars and practitioners cooperation: : the role of education and research

11 EDUCATION AND RESEARCH FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE The traditional role of higher education Making professionals Comparative knowledge and critical thinking Socialization & identity creation: : communities for the future Knowledge based society and longlife learning In service training: New role for the state: from regulator to agent of change The knowledge function in organizations Interactive-applied applied research From creation of solutions to co-production using practical knowledge Involvement of society

12 CONCLUSIONS Academic cooperation has to move from accidental and individual to systematic and professional Networks help, but bilateral cooperation is needed Institutions have to balance top down and bottom up approaches Cooperation requires effective administrative support and clear academic direction We have to advance in evaluation of international cooperation Cooperation for governance exceeds universities capacities Links with the practitioners and the civil society Intelectual modesty is a big need of our time