Brexit and higher education in Europe: the role of ideas in shaping internationalisation strategies in times of uncertainty

Abstract

Based on thematic data analysis of reports from a qualitative crosscountry study, the article explores the perceptions of Brexit and collaborations with the UK in different EU countries through the lens of discursive institutionalism. We suggest that in the context of uncertainty characteristic of the post-Brexit referendum period, ideas related to economic concerns and strategic repositioning of national higher education systems subsume the values attached to the European dimension of higher education and research policies. The ideal of educational cooperation based on cultural diversity and national varieties is overridden by concerns expressed in terms of economic rationales. These findings corroborate research that argues that collaboration/cooperation has become a pragmatic and instrumental endeavour. In time, and if the current climate of uncertainty persists, this may further reconfigure institutional strategies and lead institutions to focus on problem solutions rather than the pursuit of the political ends of cooperation.

European academic brain drain: A meta‐synthesis

“…There is a need to design a thorough policy to support a better understanding of the number of outgoing academics from Europe and to tackle this issue. This would require an inclusive approach to make Europe more attractive for researchers, especially in the post Brexit era, when the quality and reputation of European research will be at risk due to the loss of prestige associated with UK universities as compared to continental European universities (Courtois & Veiga, 2020). The EU is trying to implement a range of policies to stop losing its talent to other countries.…”

“…The southern and eastern European Union member states have already experienced higher emigration rates impacting their economic growth; while this scenario if applied to the whole of EU would shrink the working age population of EU from 306 million to 150 million by 2060 (Lutz et al, 2019). Further, Brexit , the decision of the UK to leave the EU, is going to challenge the attractiveness of the European Research Area (ERA) as the UK has been an integral part of the EU in attracting international researchers (Courtois & Veiga, 2020). Against this backdrop, the purpose of this study was to improve our understanding about the reasons for academic brain drain from Europe in general and specifically to scour the extant literature on the impact of internationalisation policies on brain drain.…”

Transcending borders in higher education: Internationalisation policies in Sweden

“…Policy ideas are both dynamic and representative of particular normative positions that underpin what types of policy are possible and available at any particular time period. As such, exploring ideas can help us understand how and why policies translate to specific operational forms and instruments (Courtois and Veiga, 2020). Particular ideas around internationalisation are mobilised to shape interests within the university sector, but also to justify certain choices and decisions about the focus or direction of policies.…”

Responsible education: what engages international postgraduate students – evidence from UK

“… How has the teaching and learning adopted in the business schools enabled (Courtois & Veiga, 2019), this article draws on evidence from 45 international postgraduate students from three Business schools in the UK between 2017 and 2018 -chosen based on the authors' institutions where access to students was given. We employed an ethnographic approach involving interviews, observations and field notes, as a way of recording the events and experiences (Van Maanen, 2011).…”

“…In the current study, an ethnographic approach is preferred that enables the identification, observation and interview of 45 international postgraduate students (from 12 countries outside the European region) from three UK business schools. The rationale for focusing on international students is that despite the growing numbers of international students into Australia, Canada, UK and the US, studies focusing on foreign students are limited (Courtois & Veiga 2019;García, Garza & Yeaton-Hromada, 2019;Tang, Collier & Witt, 2018;Chrystal & Mwangi, 2016). More so, the shifts in funding and a worldwide trend towards 'marketizing' higher education have led to a new emphasis on the quality of students' experience (Staddon & Standish, 2013).…”