Professor Marine Chitasvili (Psychology, Tbilisi State University)
Globalization, Bologna and Universities in Countries of Transition: Case of Georgia
Research aims to focus on higher education reforms and organizational
changes in higher education system and universities in concrete in
Georgia as the institution building in the context of democratization
of newly independent nation-sate and globalization of higher education.
The new law of Higher Education in Georgia introduced in 2004 was and
is oriented to implement managerialist models, sharply differentiating
academic and administrative responsibilities, and attempting to
implement regulations and templates for administration that are
isomorphic with European and American models. At the same time since
2005 Georgia has been a member of European Higher Education Area
“Bologna Process” and follows the regulations and standardization of
higher education process within the Bologna framework. It is assumed
that the new managerial models and internationally compatible
regulations for academic degrees will help to build a modern
educational system with universities that are accountable, transparent,
and high in quality. The research examines how the process of
managerialism affects the public universities in countries of
transition from soviet past and how the old soviet universities are
transforming (if they) in new 21st century Universities and what are
the expected consequences of development of public universities
controlled by the state agencies and administration in Future. The case
study of Tbilisi State University, the oldest and biggest research
university in Georgia, is used to test the hypothesis of the impact of
managerialism on universities in countries of transition. The observed
malfunction of new embedded organization and institutional models of
higher education at public universities tend to provoke inquire why the
exposure of models of “best practices” in higher education in countries
of transition fail. Findings of the research will contribute to the
debate on The Future University and address the discussion on topics:
the effects of globalization on universities as well as organization,
funding, governance and auditing, and role of academics and academic
freedom from organizational and political restrictions in relation of
production of knowledge.
