Non-integrated universities and long-standing problems: the universities of Zagreb and Belgrade in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and today

Abstract

The higher education system of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was characterized by three specific characteristics– a) non-integrated universities, b) no federal ministry of education since 1970s and b) Self-managed Communities of Interest as the decision-maker in the HE. This resulted with the absence of the direct connection between the universities and economic planning. The author considers this as one of the causes of high unemployment of graduates and brain drain in Croatia and Serbia. Twenty years after the dissolution of SFRY, the universities are still non-integrated and there are no established connections with the market and the same problems prevail. The paper is focused on the flagship universities in Croatia and Serbia. The author uses historical institutionalism framework, document analysis and process tracing method to explain and connect these problems. In the end, the author offers three solutions regarding reorganization of non-integrated universities.