Policy and practice in the Albanian higher education governance : a research based on three case studies

The Albanian Parliament approved a new higher education law in 2007. The law started to be operational in the beginning of 2008 and the process of its implementation is still going on. Our research aims to understand the dynamics between the new higher education policy and the university practices with regard to governance and management. In order to achieve such aim, we have addressed the following questions: What are the main effects of recent national higher education policies in Albania on the governance and management practices at public higher education institutions? 1. How can the current system level governance model with respect to higher education in Albania be interpreted? 2. What are the intentions of recent government policies in Albania with respect to the governance and management of public higher education institutions? 3. What are the main recent developments in practice with respect to governance and management at Albanian higher education institutions? 4. How are the national policy intentions and institutional practices with respect to governance and management of higher education institutions in Albania related to each other? The research is characterized by the exploratory and the descriptive perspective