From law to practice: Implementation and acceptance of doctoral study reform at selected public universities

1 Abstract This thesis deals with the amendment to the Higher Education Act in the area of doctoral studies and examines how key actors at selected public universities in the Czech Republic interpret, implement, and evaluate this reform. The aim of the thesis is to understand the factors that influence the acceptance of the reform and to capture the differences in its understanding and implementation across institutions, disciplines, and stakeholder roles in the early stages of implementation. The theoretical framework of the thesis is based on public policy implementation theory, specifically Richard E. Matland's Ambiguity-Conflict model, which is supplemented by concepts of policy acceptance, in particular perceived fairness, effectiveness, and feasibility. This combination allows for the analysis of both the institutional conditions of implementation and the subjective attitudes and interpretations of actors. The empirical part is based on a qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews with representatives of university management, faculties, and departmental councils. The data are analyzed using template analysis. The results show that actors largely perceive the reform as legitimate and necessary, but its implementation is burdened by a high degree of ambiguity, differing institutional...