Agents of Global Competition in the International Student Market

Komljenovic, J. (2022) Agents of Global Competition in the International Student Market. In: From Actors to Reforms in European Higher Education : A Festschrift for Pavel Zgaga. Higher Education Dynamics . Springer, Cham. ISBN 9783031093999

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the agents of competition and cooperation in global higher education. More specifically, it tackles international student mobility and foregrounds the changing nature of competition between individuals, universities, and countries. It engages with Pavel Zgaga’s seminal work on the role of universities in society, the nature of knowledge, globalisation, and European higher education and its internationalisation efforts. In his work, Zgaga foregrounds three key processes. First, a struggle between competition and cooperation among regions, countries, and institutions. Second, a struggle over various competing aims and approaches to student mobility supporting a variety of cultural, political or economic rationales. Finally, a struggle and power play between various actors. Zgaga analysed these dichotomies at the macro and meso policy level. My analysis complements his work at the micro level by investigating how policy is materialised and enacted at the Association of International Educators (NAFSA) annual conference and expo. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.