Qualitiy Assurance in Europe and the U.S.: Professional and Political Economic Framing of Higher Education Policy

In this article we study globalization in termsof the diffusion of quality assurance modelsand practices between two ``core'' regions, theU.S. and Europe, as well as within Europe,concentrating particularly on Germany andAustria. We examine the timing of theemergence and diffusion of quality assuranceand relatedly of strategic managementpractices. We then consider the prominence ofU.S. models and voices in Europe, addressingthe professional and political economic framingof higher education policies. Finally, weexplore local variations in the meanings andpractices of quality assurance and strategicmanagement. We emphasize the ways in which inthese ``core'' settings, professionals areimplicated in the diffusion and adaptation ofpolicies and practices in higher education,even as their activities are shaped by largerstructures of global professional and politicaleconomies.