Doctoral Expansion without Quality Gains
Lessons from Uzbekistan
Abstract
Many post-Soviet governments attempted to strengthen doctoral education through publication requirements and financial incentives to improve quality and attract talent. Uzbekistan’s recent experience reveals both gains and limits. Despite more demanding top-down rules, doctoral awards have expanded rapidly without corresponding quality gains. Weak capacity, informal practices, and low trust in enforcement foster superficial compliance and highlight the need for bottom-up participatory governance that aligns rules, incentives, capacity building, and shared norms of academic integrity.Downloads
Published
2026-09-28
How to Cite
Ruziev, K. (2026). Doctoral Expansion without Quality Gains: Lessons from Uzbekistan. International Higher Education, (128). Retrieved from https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/ihe/article/view/22008
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