Administrative Strangulation
Academic Freedom in Georgia and European Responsibility
Nino Doborjginidze, Giga Zedania
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
A restructuring of the higher education system is underway in Georgia. The government cites reasons of efficiency and talks of better preparing students for the labor market and fostering regional development. A closer look reveals that it is all about something else: the number of college admissions is being reduced, degree programs redistributed, revenue sources dried up, organisational structures fragmented, and international cooperation hindered. It amounts to administrative strangulation. The very existence of Georgia’s most important university is under threat, and all of the other universities are to be stripped of their autonomy. Countering this is a European task. The EU, member state governments, research funding organisations, and university networks – all bear this responsibility.
(Osteuropa 7/2026, pp. 155–170)