Paths of Baltic States public research funding, 1989-2010: between institutional heritage and internationalisation

ENThis article analyses the changes in public research funding policy in three Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) between 1989 and 2010. The article concentrates on competitive research funding. Although all three Baltic States had similar starting points, as all left the Soviet science system upon the restoration of their independence in 1991 and joined the European Union in 2004, they all developed differently. Drawing on the works of historical neo-institutionalism authors, the article analyses the articulation between change and continuity in small countries that are highly receptive to internationalisation. By analysing the resources of groups of reform actors, the article argues that instead of viewing internationalisation as an external pressure that organises policies on a uniform worldwide basis, theorising it as an endogenous factor of change allows us to better understand divergent policy trajectories in studied countries.