(Working Paper)

Elene Jibladze, September 2012

The paper focuses on system-wide higher education reforms that were lunched in Georgia in 2004. It calls into question an overall enthusiasm and positive attitude towards these reforms and poses the question whether the higher education reforms have been successful in Georgia? Analyzing a case of university autonomy this study concludes that autonomy-geared reforms produced façade changes and have failed to achieve system-wide transformation in this area. Universities tend to treat granted autonomy as another state requirement to which they have responded with superficial compliance.
The analysis covers policy developments of 2004-2010 years and looks at three components of university autonomy, institutional, financial and academic autonomy. Conclusions derive from the outcome analysis of the university autonomy policies.