GLOBALIZATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN EIGHT CHINESE UNIVERSITIES: INCORPORATION OF AND STRATEGIC RESPONSES TO WORLD CULTURE

This dissertation examines the globalization of both universities and related government organizations in the Peoples Republic of China. By using the analytical framework Allomorphism, I investigate how worldwide patterns of university governance and practices are incorporated in eight universities in the PRC. Allomorphism is an analytical framework specifically developed to examine changes of higher education institutions. It combines concepts from ¡ÈGlonacal Agency Heuristic¡É and ¡ÈWorld Culture.¡É Hence, it conceptualizes globalization at the cognitive level, that is, the spread of ideas about how universities should be organized and the role of universities in society, but allows for exploration of how organizations respond to global ideas. Therefore, according to Allomorphism, while universities and government organizations will share similar ideas about organizational structure and practices, they adapt and select global ideas in unique ways. From the literature, I identified four patterns. They are: 1) change in governance/organizational restructuring of higher education, 2) accreditation and quality control, 3) transnational higher education, and 4) internationalization. From interviews with higher education administrators, university professors, Ministry of Education officials and document analysis, I describe how these four global patterns are incorporated into the organizational structure and practices in four different types of universities and how the Ministry of Education plays a part in this process. This study has two principal findings. The MOE plays a role in how universities adopt and adapt global patterns of organizational structure and practice. For example, the MOE encourages certain universities to focus on research and self-generate funds through funding projects called Project 211 and Project 985. Second, the length of time a university has had international programs and the number of international programs at a university relate to how much a university incorporates globally held ideas into its organizational structure and practices. This study contributes to the field of globalization studies by providing systematic empirical data on the selection and adaptation of ¡Èglobal patterns¡É into the organizational structure and practices of different types of universities in the Peoples Republic of China. This study is also the first to use Allomorphism as an analytical framework