This study is important for rural actors interested in developing recruitment and retention strategies directed towards attracting the tertiary educated to rural areas. The aim of this study is to examine the demographic characteristics and economic and cultural resources that have the greatest influence on a tertiary educated individual of rural origin returning to a rural area after higher education. Gender-divided binary logistic regression is used to examine the influence of an individual's social space position (i.e. their economic and cultural resources and demographic background) on returning to rural areas. Through the use of Bourdieu's concept 'social space', this paper contributes an alternative perspective to the study of students' destinations after higher education, which has been dominated by economic perspectives. The results indicate that while there are social space characteristics common to men and women that increase their probability of a rural return, there are gender differences in the degree of influence of many of these characteristics.

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Higher education institutions are thought to rejuvenate and replenish local labour markets with recent graduates, especially in rural locales. While some graduates stay in the area of their alma mater, others return home or to other areas. The aim of this paper is to contribute a synopsis of research results from current peer-reviewed literature on the topic of internal (domestic) migration of the tertiary educated as well as introduce the concept 'social space' as a method for facilitating a relational interpretation of graduates' migration propensity and location choices. Findings from this literature review indicate that regional characteristics, human capital and demographic factors are most often cited as affecting migration propensity and location choices among the tertiary educated. However, the interpretation of these factors is often taken in isolation and from economic perspectives. 'Social space', from four philosophical starting points, is discussed as an approach to understanding the interdependence of these factors. Examples of how higher education migration research can develop into different directions by using social space theory from different philosophical perspectives are also discussed.

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The Ethiopian educational system has made promising advancements since the turn of the century. Despite this progress, education continues to grapple with a myriad of challenges, including differences in educational access and quality, insecure living conditions, and gender inequalities. Research can offer knowledge for tackling these challenges, but often it is knowledge from the global North that dominates, despite its questionable relevance to the global South. Therefore, this study analyses the evolvement of a Center for Comparative Education and Policy Studies, situated in an Ethiopian higher education context and supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), and how the Center has contributed to developing knowledge that is relevant to local contexts. An important outcome of the Center was the development of a doctoral program in International and Comparative Education and the knowledge produced in the doctoral theses that emerged. Our inquiry concerns how Southern theory contributes to an increased understanding of the development of the Center and the relevance of the doctoral theses. The findings underscore the importance of expanding Southern knowledge in education and the need for further reflection on the geopolitics of knowledge in research capacity development cooperation.