Higher Education Regionalization in South America

Regional cooperation in higher education

“…SEM's core policies focus on three main areas: quality assurance or accreditation; mobility; and inter-institutional cooperation (Perrotta, 2016a). The Mecanismo Experimental de Avaliação (MEXA) is an accreditation mechanism (experimental: 2002-2006; permanent: 2008) instrumental for regional mobility as it facilitates the comparability of qualifications and undergraduate programmes (Gomes et al, 2014;Batista, 2021). MEXA's affiliated mobility programme is the Programa de Mobilidad Acadêmica Regional para Cursos Credenciados (MARCA) established in 2004.…”

“…Lastly, a major inter-institutional initiative is the MERCOSUR Centre of Studies and Research in Higher Education (NEMES), created in 2011 to promote research on higher education in MERCOSUR (Perrotta, 2016a). Among all higher education regional initiatives in South America, Batista (2021) considers MERCOSUR as the one with extensive higher education development in terms of functional, organisational, and political approaches, and observes its resilience in spite of some political upheavals and a 'turn to the right' occurring in recent years. For Solanas (2009, p. 3), there is even an observed 'mercosurisation' of the higher education landscape.…”

“…Other sub-regional higher education initiatives emerged that are distinct from the MERCOSUR approach. For instance, in 2004 Cuba and Venezuela initiated the Bolivarian Alliance for the People of our America (ALBA) as a counter-hegemonic regional project of the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region (Batista, 2021;Muhr, 2010). In response to the crisis of global capitalism and to resist the US-sponsored Free Trade Areas for the Americas, ALBA espouses an 'alternative development' (Gomes et al, 2014, p. 160) and an 'endogenous development' based on a 'twenty-first century socialism' (Muhr, 2010, p. 40).…”

“…In response to the crisis of global capitalism and to resist the US-sponsored Free Trade Areas for the Americas, ALBA espouses an 'alternative development' (Gomes et al, 2014, p. 160) and an 'endogenous development' based on a 'twenty-first century socialism' (Muhr, 2010, p. 40). The ALBA member states embrace cooperative rather than competitive advantage (Muhr, 2010), renouncing the commodification of higher education (Batista, 2021). A prominent initiative is Venezuela's regionalised policy of Higher Education for All (HEFA), anchored in socialist ethics (philosophy), pursuit of access for all (quantitative dimension), and social relevance (qualitative dimension) (Muhr, 2010).…”

“…It is considered as a 'new new' regionalism that is mainly economic in nature in contrast to MERCOSUR that is both economic and political (Perrotta, 2016a). The bloc's focus on trade liberalisation is apparent in its higher education regional initiatives that place emphasis on student mobility programmes envisioned to generate labour mobility (Batista, 2021) and on inter-state linkages that can attract students and investors (Perrotta, 2016a). The regional body overseeing higher education is the Technical Cooperation Group.…”