Obstacles to the functioning of third-party agencies as higher education quality assurance bodies in Yunnan, China

Purpose: This study aims to explore the challenges faced by external agencies as Quality Assurance (QA) bodies in higher education in the Chinese province of Yunnan.
Design/methodology/approach: This qualitative case study included 10 respondents: six experts from a higher education evaluation center and four directors from two private university colleges (PUC). Semi-structured and in-depth interviews were conducted, considering ethical considerations from topic selection to references. The data were analyzed using thematic and inductive methods.
Conclusions: External agencies primarily function as administrative tools affiliated with the government and face deficits in trust and autonomy. They lack formal legislation, legal status, authority, and independence and face shortages of experts, specialized knowledge, accountability mechanisms, and market-oriented service structures.
Research limitations/implications: This study may not be generalizable to the national landscape and other higher education institutions. Future research should explore these issues using quantitative or mixed methods in different provinces and institutions.
Practical implications: The perceptions of experts in evaluation centers and PUC management provide empirical evidence to policymakers on QA reform, advance knowledge on QA governance, and expand resource dependency theory. Within a centralized system, the Chinese context reflects provincial challenges, offering a basis for addressing similar issues.
Originality/value: The study addresses the existing research gap by providing empirical insights into the obstacles faced by external agencies as quality assurance bodies. This could lead to the formulation of policies or laws that empower these agencies as legal and independent evaluation bodies, promoting the development of higher education and economic prosperity.