Important publications, useful readings, news in higher education

In this section HERG presents new publications that can be interesting for experts dealing with higher education issues.

If you have a suggestion for a publication that should be disseminated, please contact us on the following e-mail address: herg@ceu.hu.

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“Systematizing Internationalization Policy In Higher Education: Towards A Typology” by Daniela Craciun

Higher education, internationalization, typology, conceptualization, policy ABSTRACT: The internationalization of higher education has become a strategic priority for governments because of the benefits expected to derive from it in the economic, political, socio-cultural and academic spheres. Nevertheless, a review of the academic literature on internationalization in higher education reveals that the concept of “internationalization” has been understood and applied in a variable manner. Considering that internationalization is a central theme in higher education research and practice, this state of affairs is problematic. In response to this situation, this article proposes the establishment of a conceptual typology for the analysis of national internationalization policies as a solution. In turn, such a heuristic device will ease knowledge accumulation, cross-case comparability and disciplined use of terms and procedures. The paper ends by dispelling common concerns related to classifications

Source: Craciun, D., 2015. "Systematizing internationalization policy in higher education: Towards a typology", Perspectives of Innovations, Economics and Business, Vol.15(1), pp.49-56, http://dx.doi.org/10.15208/pieb.2015.04

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"Patterns of Funding Internationalisation of Higher Education. A Conceptual Framework for the Study of Internationalisation" in The European Higher Education Area, pp 205-219 

Liviu Matei, Julia Iwinska, Daniela Crăciun

The paper puts forward arguments in favour of a new approach to the study of internationalisation of higher education. It claims that a systematic mapping of the funding of internationalisation could shed new light on the phenomenon itself and also on the ways it has been conceptualized and studied to date. Preliminary results from a research project adopting this approach are presented, including a series of initial findings and interpretations it has made possible. They provide a basis for the construction of the proposed conceptual framework for the study of internationalisation, which may also serve the creation of heuristic instruments for further research in this context. The paper focuses primarily on potential scholarly contributions (in terms of new knowledge and conceptual refining), and discusses briefly potential lessons to be considered from a policy perspective.

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Pulls of International Student Mobility

Martin Kahanec and Renata Kralikova wrote Institute for the Study of Labor in Bonn a working paper on factors stimulating the student mobility. The authors in their paper claim that highly qualified immigration is generally considered to be beneficial for host economy. Empirical evidence shows that one important source of highly qualified immigrants are students who used to study at host country's universities. The analysis of 34 countries at two time points (academic years 2005/2006 and 2008/2009) indicates that among four factors in focus - availability of programs in English, immigration policy, higher education quality, and tuition fees - the most important magnet for international students is quality of higher education, which was measured using placement in Shanghai world university ranking. Delivering programs in English language is another important factor influencing the incoming mobility. Surprisingly, also countries with relatively high tuition fees for international students are attractive to international students. Read more.

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Since the Bologna Declaration was adopted by 29 ministers of education in June 1999, the focus has been on efforts to harmonize higher education within the European Union. As someone who has worked in higher education for a number of years,Norbert Sabic (PhD '16) is very familiar with these efforts. He is also well aware of the concern among many policy makers about the lack of institutional diversity within Europe. As part of his doctoral research, Sabic analyzed many of the policy documents that have been produced during the last 15 years to stimulate discussions about the diversification of higher education. "One of the themes that came up repeatedly," he says, "is the assumption that given the necessary freedom, right information, required managerial skills, and appropriate incentives, higher education institutions are likely to differentiate on a vertical scale to satisfy societal and political demands for global competitiveness." Read Norbert's PhD here.

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On February 26, 2016 Elene Jibladze successfully defended her PhD dissertation on "Suspended Development: Institutional Transformation and Lack of Improvement in the Higher Education System of Post-Revolution Georgia" receiving the distinction magna cum laude. Jibladze has earned a PhD in Political Science from the CEU Doctoral School in the higher education stream of the public policy track. Investigating the higher education system reforms in Georgia that were influenced by global and regional developments, such as the Bologna Process, Jibladze offers an alternative conceptual framework to analyze higher education system transformation in post-Soviet countries in transition. Read Elene's PhD here

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"Transition legacies, rules of appropriateness and "modernization agenda" translation in higher education governance in Lithuania, Romania and Slovakia" by Renáta Králiková

Renata's dissertation seeks to contribute to an understanding of the translation of internationally promoted models of higher education (HE) governance. It focuses on transition countries sharing similar starting conditions and external pressures, yet different results in the translation process; Lithuania, Romania and Slovakia, which all experienced direct Communist party control over universities prior to 1989. After 1989, they reformed HE governance by introducing organizational autonomy for universities, reacting to state centralization. During the late 1990s and early 2000s, they implemented reforms under the influence of the ‘modernization agenda’ spread by major international organizations; the World Bank, OECD, UNESCO-CEPES, and European Commission. The use of the ‘modernization agenda’ is studied in changes made between 1988 and 2012 in three policy areas representing three dimensions of HE governance: university relationship with state (changes to funding and property use), university internal management (centralization of university internal management and organization), and university relations with wider society (introduction of university boards).