Original Article Reformation or Transformation? Policy Reform in Ireland’s Higher Education System Brı ´d Quinn Department of Politics and Public Administration, University of Limerick, Plassey, Limerick V94 T9PX, Ireland. E-mail: brid.quinn@ul.ie Recent developments in policy analysis promote the use of blended or fused frame- works in order to capture the complexity of contemporary policy processes. Such an approach is particularly relevant to the complex higher education policy sphere. Having identified the appropriateness and conceptual and practical utility of such models, this article proposes a model linking the streams, stages and AFC approaches in an insti- tutional frame. The framework is then applied in an analysis of higher education policy reform during the last 20 years in Ireland. The article pinpoints the benefits and chal- lenges of creating and applying such frameworks of analysis and highlights their rel- evance to the education sector and their potential for the policy studies community. Higher Education Policy (2018). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41307-018-0108-6 Keywords: reform; nested model; framework for analysis; Ireland; transformation Higher education is both a means and an end — a fulcrum of knowledge, understanding and meaning; a personal and professional developmental goal for individuals; and a social and economic goal for government and society. Educational attainment is associated with higher earnings during a person’s working life and increases the likelihood of countries having people with the knowledge and skills required in the post-industrial world. Higher education’s research output generates knowledge and promotes innovation, and demand for higher education is growing exponentially. By 2020, the number of 25–34 year olds with a tertiary qualification in OECD and G20 countries is expected to grow from 137 to 300 million (OECD, 2015). This trend has implications for governmental priorities, policies and processes. In addition to its intrinsic value, other policy domains place great expectations on the contribution of the HE sector in framing and solving complex problems and facilitating development and finding innovative solutions to the multifaceted problems confronting governments (Chou et al., 2017). Higher education is perceived as an engine for economic growth through the creation and application of new knowledge (Commission of European Communities, 2017). Higher education is also expected to contribute to society by Higher Education Policy, 2018 Ó 2018 International Association of Universities 0952-8733/18 www.palgrave.com/journals