‘Network governance’ and the formation of the strategic plan in the higher education sector in Bangladesh

ABSTRACT

The concept ‘network governance’ has become widespread and is often believed to occur in a Western environment. Is network governance applicable to other contexts and what can we learn from it in Bangladeshi context? This paper outlines how the idea of ‘network governance’ emerged and how it operates in a neoliberal higher education policy-formulation process in Bangladesh. It is based on a qualitative case study, using qualitative content analysis of documents and a thematic analysis of interviews with 13 state-level policy actors and one journalist in which they provide accounts of networking policy activities in the development of a Strategic Plan for Higher Education. This paper seeks to contribute to the understanding of not only how network governance is formed at the micro-level, but also how network governance interplays with structures and how policies that circulate globally are negotiated and shaped in the local context.

KEYWORDS:

• Network governance
• Strategic Plan
• structures
• Higher Education
• Bangladesh

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Monash University [Postgraduate Publications Award].

Notes on contributors

Ariful Haq Kabir

Ariful Haq Kabir completed his PhD entitled Micropolitics of neoliberal policy formulation in the higher education sector in Bangladesh from the Faculty of Education at the Monash University, Australia. He has been teaching sociology of education at the Institute of Education and Research, University of Dhaka, since the 2006.