The Dual Roles of Higher Education Institutions in the Knowledge Economy

Abstract

This chapter discusses the dual roles of higher education institutions, as recipients of higher education policy and as agents for change in the knowledge economy. Primarily, they are recipients of policy change influenced at the European level. Second, they are agents of policy change in the knowledge-based economy, which is of increasing importance in the twenty-first century. This is a new kind of regional integration, influenced by Europeanization and intergovernmentalism in higher education policy, with the ultimate objectives of achieving (1) economic competitiveness and (2) social cohesion through a system of higher educational qualifications and their international recognition. The success of the European Commission’s study-abroad program, Erasmus, is discussed as a component of the Bologna Process, which has incorporated mobility objectives for higher education. The opportunity for greater mobility in international education corresponds with the ongoing trends in globalization.