Policy Governance without Government in European Higher Education

The paper argues that the Bologna Process as a set of policy initiatives which exists at the margins of the EU framework embodies a case of Governmentality in a context of Governance without Government. This is due to the distinctive regulatory characteristics of the Bologna Process which encompass; its non-legislative character; the voluntary adaptation and participation of the member-states to the process; the extension of the Process to non EU members; and, finally, its peculiarity as a set of common guidelines, the realisation of which differ within each member-state. These characteristics introduce a modality of policy governance in European higher education that aims to tackle the challenges of globalisation beyond traditional forms of government.