Interdisciplinarity as a Tool of Policy Transfer: The Case of Greek Master’s Programs

Abstract

This paper negotiates interdisciplinarity as a tool of European policy transfer. As a case study, it focuses on the master programs in the Greek University. Policy transfer theory is used as an analytical tool for exploring the results of research on interdisciplinary master programs funded by the European support framework for Greece. We try to focus on the role of policy makers on a national level and on the key actors on the local level (university). We argue that the policy makers create the necessary conditions by modifications to the legislative framework. The University and its key-actors have adopted interdisciplinarity as a supplementary institutional funding and with care so as not to disturb the internal institutional structure and its power relations. So, as Dolowitz & Marsh argue we observe hybrid construction for interdisciplinary master programs. This point is converse with Bomberg and Peterson's reasoning that «policy transfer does not occur by chance, but often produces unintended results».