Centralisation and Decentralisation in Higher Education: a Comparative Study of Hungary and Germany
Centralisation and Decentralisation in Higher Education: a Comparative Study of Hungary and Germany

Summary/Abstract: The main focus of this article is on comparing the centralisation and decentralisation in higher education in Hungary and Germany. This study explores trends in implementing quality assurance measures in higher education. It employs the methodology of document analysis to identify differences between the two nations in the level of autonomy they accord to higher education institutions in regulating quality assurance standards. Data collected from these documents demonstrate that the two countries have divergent approaches to higher education governance. In the Hungarian higher education system, management is centralised and monitored by the national government. This state control indicates limited autonomy amongst higher education institutions to organise academic programs. In contrast, the German legal documents examined in this study indicate a belief in the need to guarantee the quality of learning, teaching, research, academic freedom, gender equality, and institutional autonomy. The data collected reveal the close relationship between governance and quality assurance in discourses regarding the accountability, transparency, and freedom of stakeholders.

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