Abstract

This panel explores how regional universities in Kazakhstan drive development and enact autonomy reforms, presenting a multi-level analysis through four interconnected studies.

The first paper examines faculty agency under autonomy reforms addressing the tension between expanded formal autonomy and constrained institutional capacity. Authors: Ahmet Aypay, Saule Yeszhanova, Alper Calikoglu, Aida Sagintayeva, Zhadyra Makhmetova, Presenter - Saule Yeszhanova. The study shows how academics interpret and navigate reform conditions through a range of strategic responses, including acquiescence, compromise, resistance, and manipulation. Grounded in a relational and temporally embedded understanding of agency, the findings reveal that while autonomy may expand opportunities for innovation in teaching and curriculum, it simultaneously constrains agency in governance and conflict resolution. This gives rise to an “agency paradox,” where autonomy is both enabling and limiting, depending on context and domain.

The second paper shifts the focus to organisational transformation, interrogating the relationship between formal strategic planning and everyday institutional practices. Authors: Ahmet Aypay, Zhadyra Makhmetova, Alper Calikoglu, Aida Sagintayeva, Saule Yeszhanova, Laura Ibrayeva, Presenter - Zhadyra Makhmetova. Through analysis of strategic documents and interviews with faculty and administrators, the study identifies a pattern of isomorphic convergence at the macro level, where universities align their goals with global discourses of excellence, rankings, and managerial efficiency. However, at the meso and micro levels, transformation unfolds in more fragmented and adaptive ways, shaped by leadership changes, local initiatives, bureaucratic pressures, and constrained agency. Change is negotiated through hybrid practices that combine compliance with improvisation, emotional labour, and professional resilience.

The third paper extends the discussion by examining universities’ roles in regional development and the evaluation of these roles. Authors: Alper Calikoglu, Baris Uslu, Ahmet Aypay, Presenter - Alper Calikoglu. Through a systematic review of the literature, the study highlights how universities are increasingly expected to contribute not only to economic growth but also to social and environmental development. However, existing evaluation frameworks tend to prioritise measurable economic outputs, while overlooking broader societal impacts. The findings point to significant methodological and conceptual challenges in assessing university–region interactions, including data limitations and the complexity of capturing long-term, context-specific outcomes.