Bologna externalities: the effect of joining Bologna process on research collaboration
Amirbekova D. Batkeyev B. Bigabatova M.
2026Taylor and Francis Ltd.
European Journal of Higher Education
2026#16Issue 181 - 97 pp.
There is extensive literature on the impact of joining the Bologna Process. However, along with the direct effects of joining and adopting the standards of the European system of higher education, there could potentially be other indirect effects. Conceptually, one could view these effects of joining the Bologna Process through integrated institutional approach to internationalization. Joining the Bologna Process fosters cross-cutting internalization, that is affecting one domain which includes international mobility. Thus, countries that joined the process should have a ‘gear effect’ on the other domain of international engagement within teaching, research and third mission. In this paper, we try to estimate one dimension of such externalities. Using relatively novel difference-in-differences empirical strategy, we estimate the indirect effect of joining the Bologna Process on research collaborations between authors from a joining country and those from Bologna member states. Namely, we analyse two cohorts of post-Soviet countries that joined in 2005 and 2010. We find that results of joining the Bologna Process vary by group but are in line with the conceptual framework. There is a positive effect on research collaboration for Kazakhstan, which joined in 2010, but not for the other group of post-Soviet countries, which joined in 2005.
Bologna process , higher education , internationalization , research collaboration
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Business School, Kazakh-British Technical University, Almaty, Kazakhstan
International School of Economics, Kazakh-British Technical University, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Business School
International School of Economics
10 лет помогаем публиковать статьи Международный издатель
Книга Публикация научной статьи Волощук 2026 Book Publication of a scientific article 2026