Change, isomorphism, quality, and public evaluation and accreditation policies in higher education: A case in Colombia

Abstract

This article presents changes in Colombian higher education institutions as effects of their “voluntary” implementation of public evaluation and accreditation policies. This single case study adopted a qualitative approach and the perspective of new institutionalism to examine a Colombian higher education institution. The results show that strategical, structural, and cultural changes made by the institution influence the entire organization. These changes lead to institutional and competitive isomorphism and guide the institution toward a new university model that produces asymmetries in its major functions and questions its identity.