The public university and the retreat from globalisation: An economic geography perspective on managing local-global tensions in international higher education

Abstract

As a growing backlash against globalisation gathers momentum, internationally oriented public universities face a period of great unrest. In particular, they find themselves caught between the narrowing local agendas of their public funders and the global outlook of their researchers and students. We suggest that an economic geography lens provides a powerful perspective for how universities might navigate these tensions. Specifically, we show how local-global tensions can be managed through strategies engaged at the city and regional level. Our contribution seeks to inform current debates in the higher education sector and bring economic geography more centrally into public discourse on this topic.