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How Government Policy Is Implemented in the Private University: A Case Study from China

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Frontiers of Education in China

Abstract

This article is based on original research into institutional governance in private universities. It provides an in-depth qualitative study of how the private university in China has responded in practice to government policies. The analysis focuses on three dimensions: the roles of the university council, the president, and the university constitution. The study adopted two methods of data collection: 31 separate semi-structured interviews with 21 informants as well as extensive documentary analysis. Findings revealed that while external policies provide an impetus for change for each university, how key actors in institutional governance understand these policies has a significant effect on how the policies are implemented. This can result in change that can be viewed as either symbolic alteration or as operational change. This study provides insights from an empirical investigation by way of a case study on private university governance in China, and also a referential perspective on the governance of private universities in general for policy makers, senior managers, and academics.

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Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Prof. Andrew Brown from University College dondon for countless professional academic discussions during this study. This work was supported by the Chinese National Social Science Fund (grant no. CIA140189).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Fashion and Art Design, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, 610010, China

    Xu Liu

  2. Institute of Education, University College London, London, WC1H 0AL, England

    Xu Liu

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Correspondence to Xu Liu.

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Liu, X. How Government Policy Is Implemented in the Private University: A Case Study from China. Front Educ China 13, 426–447 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11516-018-0020-2

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