Internationalisation of HE as a public good: a comparative study in four national systems

There is a potential for tension between the free mobility of students, which is a global public good, and national public goods – such as managed migration, and national security.

In order to optimise the benefits of internationalisation as a public good (whether a global and/or national good), it is necessary to understand it in context. This project will analyse four countries which offer sharply contrasting examples: the UK, France, Japan and China. Among the four countries there are striking differences in both political cultures that affect higher and international education, and in the regulation of migration.

The project will enable a better understanding of synergies and tensions between:

  • national migration policy and international higher education, especially cross-border student mobility;
  • economic growth and global competitiveness as national public goods, and educational internationalisation as a national public good;
  • national social equity, global social equity, and the internationalisation of higher education, especially cross-border student mobility;

national public goods in education and other areas, and global public goods that are, or can be, furthered by international student mobility and/or other forms of internationalisation in higher education.

External Project Members include: Vincent Carpentier (UCL Institute of Education),Futao Huang (Hiroshima University), Nian Cai Liu (Shanghai Jiao Tong University), and Kiyomi Horiuchi (Hiroshima University)

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