Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-vvkck Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-26T01:31:08.541Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

6 - Understanding Convergence and Divergence in the Internationalization of Higher Education from a World Society Perspective

from Part II - Systems, Processes, and Dynamics of Governance in Higher Education

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 November 2020

Giliberto Capano
Affiliation:
Università degli Studi, Bologna, Italy
Darryl S. L. Jarvis
Affiliation:
The University of Hong Kong
Get access

Summary

This chapter suggests that that the similarities in approaches to internationalization lead to convergence across higher education systems, actual practices and governance arrangements also show continued divergence. By adopting a cultural / phenomenological approached as part of the world society theory perspective (Meyer et al., 1997), this chapter aims to provide a cultural rather than a functional explanation for the remarkable degree of convergence, while not losing sight of divergence. Taking this cultural perspective to both frame and explain the proliferation of the internationalization discourse in higher education — and the resulting convergence and divergence — has, to the best of our knowledge, not been done before in the academic literature. To further our understanding of the internationalization discourse and the implications for governance of higher education, we ask the following research question: how can the rationales and practices underpinning the internationalization of higher education be understood from a world society perspective? To answer this question, we first outline the world society theory. We then highlight patterns of convergence, followed by signs of divergence, in rationales and practices.

Type
Chapter
Information
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Alasuutari, P. (2015) The discursive side of new institutionalism. Cultural Sociology, 9(2), 162184.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Altbach, P. G., and Peterson, P. M. (2008) Higher education as a projection of America’s soft power. In Yasushi, W and McConnell, D. L. (Eds), Soft power superpowers: Cultural and national assets of Japan and the United States, pp. 3753. Abingdon and New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
Appelt, S., van Beuzekom, B., Galindo-Rueda, F., and de Pinho, R. (2015) Which factors influence the international mobility of research scientists? In Geuna, A (Ed.), Global mobility of research scientists: The economics of who goes where and why, pp. 177213. London: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Becker, R., and Kolster, R. (2012) International student recruitment: Policies and developments in selected countries. The Hague: Nuffic.Google Scholar
Bergmann, L. (2015) The Erasmus program and European identity: Does studying abroad foster a feeling of European identity? Bachelor’s thesis. Enschede: University of Twente.Google Scholar
BFUG (2009) The European Higher Education Area (EHEA) in a global context: Report on overall developments at the European, national and institutional levels. Approved by BFUG at its meeting in Prague, 12–13 February 2009.Google Scholar
de Boer, H., Jongbloed, B., Benneworth, P., et al. (2015) Performance-based funding and performance agreements in fourteen higher education systems. Enschede: Center for Higher Education Policy Studies.Google Scholar
Brandenburg, U., Berghoff, S., Taboadela, O., et al. (2014) The ERASMUS impact study: Effects of mobility on the skills and employability of students and the internationalisation of higher education institutions. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union.Google Scholar
Buckner, E. S. (2017) The changing discourse on higher education and the nation-state, 1960–2010. Higher Education, 74(3), 473489.Google Scholar
Chieffo, L., and Griffiths, L. (2004) Large-scale assessment of student attitudes after a short-term study abroad program. Frontiers: The interdisciplinary journal of study abroad, 10, 165177.Google Scholar
Cohen, M. D., March, J. G., and Olsen, J. P. (1972) A garbage can model of organizational choice. Administrative Science Quarterly, 17(1), 125.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cremonini, L., and Antonowicz, D. (2009) In the eye of the beholder? Conceptualizing academic attraction in the global higher education market. European Education, 41(2), 5274.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Crossman, J. E., and Clarke, M. (2010) International experience and graduate employability: Stakeholder perceptions on the connection. Higher Education, 59(5), 599613.Google Scholar
Delgado-Márquez, B. L., Escudero-Torres, M. A., and Hurtado-Torres, N. E. (2013) Being highly internationalised strengthens your reputation: An empirical investigation of top higher education institutions. Higher Education, 66(5), 619633.Google Scholar
Dodds, A. (2009) Liberalization and the public sector: The pre‐eminent role of governments in the ‘sale’ of higher education abroad. Public Administration, 87(2), 397411.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Drori, G. S., Meyer, J. W., Ramirez, F. O., and Schofer, E. (2003) Science in the modern world polity: Institutionalization and globalization. Stanford: Stanford University Press.Google Scholar
EP-Nuffic (2016) Report of a study to measure how many students stayed in the Netherlands after graduating in 2008–09. The Hague: EP-Nuffic.Google Scholar
European Commission (2013) European higher education in the world. Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, Brussels, 11 July.Google Scholar
European Commission (2014) Effects of mobility on the skills and employability of students and the internationalisation of higher education institutions. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union.Google Scholar
European Commission, EACEA, and Eurydice (2015) The European Higher Education Area in 2015: Bologna Process implementation report. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union.Google Scholar
Federkeil, G., van Vught, F. A., and Westerheijden, D. F. (2012) An evaluation and critique of current rankings. In van Vught, F. A., and Ziegele, F (Eds) Multidimensional ranking: The design and development of U-Multirank, pp. 3970. Dordrecht: Springer.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ferreia de LimaJr, A. (2007) The role of international educational exchanges in public diplomacy. Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, 3(3), 234251.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Frank, D. J., and Gabler, J. (2006) Reconstructing the university: Worldwide shifts in academia in the 20th century. Stanford: Stanford University Press.Google Scholar
Goldfinch, S., and Wallis, J. (2010) Two myths of convergence in public management reform. Public Administration, 88(4), 10991115.Google Scholar
Hasse, R., and Krücken, G. (2014) Coupling and decoupling in education. In Holzer, B, Kastner, F, and Werron, T (Eds) From globalization to world society, pp. 197214. New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
Helms, R. M. (2014) Campus internationalization: Going international. Washington, DC: American Council on Education. www.acenet.edu/the-presidency/columns-and-features/Pages/Going-International.aspx.Google Scholar
Helms, R. M., Rumbley, L. E., Brajkovic, L., and Mihut, G. (2015) Internationalizing higher education worldwide: National policies and programs. Washington, DC: American Council on Education.Google Scholar
Hénard, F., Diamond, L., and Roseveare, D. (2012) Approaches to internationalisation and their implications for strategic management and institutional practice. Paris: OECD, Institutional Management in Higher Education.Google Scholar
Horta, H. (2009) Global and national prominent universities: internationalization, competitiveness and the role of the State. Higher Education, 58(3), 387405.Google Scholar
Ilieva, J., and Peak, M. (2016) The shape of global higher education: National policies framework for international engagement, emerging themes. London: The British Council.Google Scholar
Jang, Y. S. (2000) The worldwide founding of ministries of science and technology, 1950–1990. Sociological Perspectives, 43(2), 247270.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jones, E. (2013) Internationalization and employability: The role of intercultural experiences in the development of transferable skills. Public Money & Management, 33(2), 95104.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
King, R., and Ruiz‐Gelices, E. (2003) International student migration and the European ‘year abroad’: Effects on European identity and subsequent migration behaviour. International Journal of Population Geography, 9(3), 229252.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Knight, J. (2015) Updated definition of internationalization. International Higher Education, 33. doi:10.6017/ihe.2003.33.7391Google Scholar
Kolster, R. (2014) Academic attractiveness of countries: A possible benchmark strategy applied to the Netherlands. European Journal of Higher Education, 4(2), 118134.Google Scholar
Krücken, G., and Drori, G. S. (Eds) (2009) World society: The writings of John W. Meyer. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Krücken, G. A., Kosmutzky, A., and Torka, M. (Eds) (2007) Towards a multiversity? Universities between global trends and national traditions. Bielefeld: Transcript Verlag.Google Scholar
Leask, B. (2009) Using formal and informal curricula to improve interactions between home and international students. Journal of Studies in International Education, 13(2), 205221.Google Scholar
Lee, J. T. (2015) Soft power and cultural diplomacy: Emerging education hubs in Asia. Comparative Education 51(3), 353374.Google Scholar
Leung, M., and Sharma, Y. (2017) Row over funds for mainland Chinese overseas students. University World News, Issue No. 447, 16 February.Google Scholar
Luo, J., and Jamieson-Drake, D. (2013) Examining the educational benefits of interacting with international students. Journal of International Students, 3(2), 85101.Google Scholar
Maassen, P. (2014) A new social contract for higher education? In Goastellec, G and Picard, F (Eds) Higher education in societies: A multi scale perspective, pp. 3350. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.Google Scholar
Maassen, P., and Stensaker, B. (2011) The knowledge triangle, European higher education policy logics and policy implications. Higher Education, 61(6), 757769.Google Scholar
Maassen, P., Nerland, M., Pinheiro, R., et al. (2012) Change dynamics and higher education reforms. In Vukasović, M, Maassen, P, Nerland, M, Stensaker, B, and Vabo, A (Eds) Effects of higher education reforms: Change dynamics, pp. 117. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.Google Scholar
Malicki, R., and Potts, D. (2013) The outcomes of outbound student mobility: A summary of academic literature. Frenchs Forest, NSW: AIM Overseas. http://aimoverseas.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/UAAsiaBoundOutcomesResearch-Final.pdfGoogle Scholar
Marginson, S. (2009) University rankings, government and social order: Managing the field of higher education according to the logic of the performative present-as-future. In Simons, M, Olssen, M, and Peters, M (Eds) Re-reading education policies: Studying the policy agenda of the 21st century, pp. 584604. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marginson, S. (2016) The role of the state in university science: Russia and China compared. Working paper No. 9. London: Centre for Global Higher Education.Google Scholar
Martens, K., and Wolf, K. D. (2009) Boomerangs and Trojan horses: The unintended consequences of internationalising education policy through the EU and the OECD. In Amaral, A, Neave, G, Musselin, C, and Maassen, P (Eds) European integration and the governance of higher education and research, pp. 81107. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Meyer, J. W. (2000) Globalization sources and effects on national states and societies. International Sociology, 15(2), 233248.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Meyer, J. W. (2010) World society, institutional theories, and the actor. Annual Review of Sociology, 36, 120.Google Scholar
Meyer, J. W., Boli, J., Thomas, G. M., and Ramirez, F. O. (1997) World society and the nation-state. American Journal of Sociology, 103(1), 144181.Google Scholar
Munch, C., and Hoch, M. (2013) The financial impact of cross-border student mobility on the economy of the host country. Berlin: German Academic Exchange Service.Google Scholar
Neave, G., and Maassen, P. (2007) The Bologna Process: An intergovernmental policy perspective. In Maassen, P and Olsen, J. P. (Eds) University dynamics and European integration, pp. 135154. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands.Google Scholar
Nybom, T. (2007) A rule-governed community of scholars: The Humboldt vision in the history of the European university. In Maassen, P, and Olsen, J. P. (Eds) University dynamics and European integration, pp. 5580. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands.Google Scholar
Nye Jr, J. S. (2004) Soft power: The means to success in world politics. New York: PublicAffairs.Google Scholar
OECD (2015) Education at a glance 2015: OECD indicators. Paris: OECD Publishing.Google Scholar
OECD (2016) The internationalisation of doctoral and master’s studies. Education Indicators in Focus, 39. Paris: OECD Publishing.Google Scholar
Ramirez, F. O., and Tiplic, D. (2014) In pursuit of excellence? Discursive patterns in European higher education research. Higher Education, 67(4), 439455.Google Scholar
Rizvi, F. (2011) Theorizing student mobility in an era of globalization. Teachers and Teaching, 17(6), 693701.Google Scholar
Salmi, J. (2009) The challenge of establishing world-class universities. Washington, DC: World Bank.Google Scholar
Seeber, M., Cattaneo, M., Huisman, J., and Paleari, S. (2016) Why do higher education institutions internationalize? An investigation of the multilevel determinants of internationalization rationales. Higher Education, 72(5), 685702.Google Scholar
Sharma, Y. (2017) Row over ‘easy’ admission for international students. University World News, Issue No. 448, 22 February.Google Scholar
Sin, C., and Neave, G. (2016) Employability deconstructed: Perceptions of Bologna stakeholders. Studies in Higher Education, 41(8), 14471462.Google Scholar
Sutton, S., and Deardorff, D. K. (2012) Internationalizing internationalization: The global context. IAU’s Horizons, 17(3)/18(1), 1617.Google Scholar
Teichler, U. (2009) Internationalisation of higher education: European experiences. Asia Pacific Education Review, 10(1), 93106.Google Scholar
Tight, M. (2007) Bridging the divide: A comparative analysis of articles in higher education journals published inside and outside North America. Higher Education, 53(2), 235253.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Trede, F., Bowles, W., and Bridges, D. (2013) Developing intercultural competence and global citizenship through international experiences: Academics’ perceptions. Intercultural Education, 24(5), 442455.Google Scholar
Van Damme, D. (2016) Is international academic migration stimulating scientific research and innovation? OECD Education and Skills Today blog, 9 March. http://oecdeducationtoday.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/is-international-academic-migration_9.htmlGoogle Scholar
van Vught, F. A., and Ziegele, F. (Eds) (2012) Multidimensional ranking: The design and development of U-Multirank. Dordrecht: Springer.Google Scholar
van Vught, F. A., van der Wende, M. C., and Westerheijden, D. F. (2002) Globalization and internationalization: Policy agendas compared. In Fulton, O, and Enders, J (Eds), Higher education in a globalizing world: International trends and mutual observations, pp. 103120. Dordrecht: Kluwer.Google Scholar
Waring, P. (2014) Singapore’s global schoolhouse strategy: Retreat or recalibration? Studies in Higher Education, 39(5), 874884.Google Scholar
Westerheijden, D. F., Beerkens, E., Cremonini, L., et al. (2010) The first decade of working on the European Higher Education Area: The Bologna Process independent assessment – Executive summary, overview and conclusions. Vienna: European Commission, Directorate-General for Education and Culture.Google Scholar
de Wit, H. (1999) Changing rationales for the internationalisation of higher education. International Higher Education, Spring, 23.Google Scholar
de Wit, H. (2009) Internationalization of higher education in the United States of America and Europe. Charlotte: IAP.Google Scholar
de Wit, H., Hunter, F., Howard, L., and Egron-Polak, E. (2015) Internationalisation of higher education. Brussels: European Parliament.Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×