Tackling knowledge ‘like a business’? Rethinking the modernisation of higher education in Poland

Bates, A and Godoń, R (2017) 'Tackling knowledge ‘like a business’? Rethinking the modernisation of higher education in Poland.' Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 47 (4). pp. 454-467. ISSN 0305-7925

Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1080/03057925.2016.1234931

Abstract

The year 1989 marked the official end of communist rule in Poland and the replacement of ‘Gosplan’ by new instruments for liberal-democratic governance. In terms of the economy this heralded a departure from Gosplan’s five-year planning cycles, performance targets and the ‘propaganda of success’. Paradoxically, however, 27 years later, the marketisation of higher education in Poland has been accompanied by a continuation of Gosplan thinking. This is manifested in a neoliberal vision of the modern, ‘corporate’ university as a largely utilitarian enterprise, but subject to a style of performance management strongly resonant of the Soviet era. This article analyses the thinking, ideas and ideologies that have shaped contemporary higher education in Poland. It is contended that the rise of the ‘corporate university’ signals the twilight of the Humboldtian tradition and raises questions about what the corporate ideal of ‘excellence’ may mean for the future of the university.

Item Type: Article
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A non-final version of this article is available at the URL below.

Keywords: modernisation, Humboldtian tradition, Gosplan thinking, Bologna Process, corporate university
Divisions: School of Education
Identification Number: https://doi.org/10.1080/03057925.2016.1234931
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Date Deposited: 09 Aug 2021 19:21
Last Modified: 15 Aug 2021 09:56
URI / Page ID: https://researchspace.bathspa.ac.uk/id/eprint/14240
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