Internationalization of Higher Education in Romania and Portugal—Strategies and Transitions at the (Semi-)Periphery

Ligia Deca

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-56316-5_5

Abstract

AbstractGovernments and higher education institutions see internationalization of higher education as one of the main factors that influence their strategic endeavors in the years to come. When looking at the national level, the drivers of internationalization are linked to economic and geo-political positioning, cultural influences, as well as international competitiveness for knowledge and human capital. Party politics, foreign affairs, economy and immigration policies also play a big role in shaping country level approaches. For universities, prestige factors, disciplinary or constitutive groups’ interests and financial imperatives predominantly drive internationalization policies. In this context, the paper will look at national and institutional strategic pursuits in the field of internationalization of higher education, in the case of two countries geographically (and perhaps economically) positioned at Europe’s periphery: Romania and Portugal. The choice of these two countries relies on their recent transition from totalitarian regimes to democracies, coupled with similar trends of massification and underfunding of the higher education sector. The conclusion will include policy lessons for decision-makers, especially with a view on whether well-established global models of internationalization of higher education are fit for purpose for transitioning countries. The author’s work for this article was supported by the scholarship for a post-doctoral research fellowship, provided by the New Europe College (NEC), during the 2018–2019 academic year.

Highlights

In a world where knowledge is the key asset, brain circulation becomes one of the essential indicators of just how much countries and higher education institutions are willing to rethink their future moves in order to attract international students and researchers
The previous technical colleges were transformed in universities and a flurry of private providers started to offset the increasing demand for a higher education degree (Damian 2011: 59). This rapid expansion of the capacity of the higher education sector came with a challenge to maintain the quality of provision, which is perhaps why Romania was the first country in Central and Eastern Europe to establish a governmental agency for quality control in this sector, in 1993—the National Council for Academic Evaluation and Accreditation (CNEEA), following a UNESCO-CEPES study with support from Japan
Its evolution was later influenced by the needs of the Portuguese Empire, with engineering and medical higher education institutions being set up in various colonies (South-America, Asia etc.), in order to support the needs of those societies

Summary

Introduction

The internationalization of higher education is, without a doubt, one of the undeniable trends that continues to (re)define governmental and university level strategies alike. This paper compares the recent history of higher education internationalization in two countries situated simultaneously at the periphery of the European Economic Area and at the semi-periphery of internationalization efforts in the university sector. These two case studies share a recent history of transition from totalitarian regimes to functional democracy, in a wider context of accession to the European Union and the European Higher Education Area. This transition does start from different ideological standpoints (communism for Romania and fascism for Portugal) and at different points in time (1989 for Romania and 1974 for Portugal).

Deca (B)

Methodological and Conceptual Considerations

Portugal—How a Former Empire Strikes Below Its Weight

Findings

Comparative Analysis and Conclusive Remarks