AbstractEuropean higher education has witnessed a substantial growth in regulatory arrangements in external quality assurance (EQA) during the last couple of decades. This current article describes the central characteristics and trajectories of this expansion, and discusses drivers of this development drawing on an institutional perspective. Empirically, three distinct, although overlapping, stages in the building up of a regulatory regime are identified — from formalization and agencification of EQA at national level, establishment of common standards at a European level, to the current stage of an emerging global market-based system. This combination of institutional layering, path-dependency, and conversion can be explained by the nature of political context and the ambiguities of regulation of quality in higher education. In the conclusion it is argued that the development of external quality assurance as a regulatory field is an example of how the dynamics of an evolving regulatory regime may in an unexpected way limit the public control of highly institutionalized fields.
Consumers' attention is a scarce resource. It is virtually impossible for a consumer to keep informed about all the markets he or she visits. This article describes a mechanism that is likely to evolve in sophisticated societies with multiple complex markets. Since the nature of consumer areas differs substantially and thus requires different kinds of consumer competences, such competences cannot be easily transferred from one consumer area to another. People therefore tend to give their limited attention to consumer areas of similar nature, while neglecting others. This phenomenon is conceptualised as the Consumer Attention Deficit Syndrome (CADS). Empirically, if such a mechanism exists, this will be reflected in consumers' tendency to develop specialised consumer competence profiles. In three nationally representative data sets collected in Norway in 2005, 2007 and 2009, specialised consumer competence profiles were distinguished. The following analysis indicates that, on an individual level, CADS is quite widespread. While it cannot be claimed that some social groups are more vulnerable to the syndrome than others, different groups' lack of attention is concentrated on different consumer areas. Leaning on choice and decision-making theories, the implications of CADS for the functioning of markets are discussed.
Décisions éclairées? Le rôle des scientifiques dans la gouvernance de l'UE Le rôle d'expertise technocratique et scientifique dans la gouvernance de l'UE est contesté. Cet article examine le degré de participation des scientifiques dans le processus décisionnel de l'UE et les conditions qui influent sur leur participation. L'étude utilise une base de données sur les groupes d'experts de la Commission européenne. Nous montrons que les scientifiques sont impliqués dans une grande partie des groupes d'experts organisés par la Commission européenne (un tiers), mais ils sont rarement les seuls participants. Nous montrons également que l'accès des scientifiques est plus probable dans la phase d'élaboration de la politique et que leur participation dépend de certains cadres institutionnels.
