Emerging International Dimensions in East Asian Higher Education

In East Asia, higher education has relied heavily on private and marketized forces in its rapid development process.  At the same time, state governments have introduced strong initiatives especially in upgrading the global positioning of their flagship universities through their pursuit of international competitiveness.  Currently, these well-known characteristics of East Asian higher education are challenged by the necessity to formulate international dimensions for regional and global well-being, without a clear consensus as to a regional future vision. 

The changing roles of East Asian higher education in a new global environment have implications for academics and policy-makers who not only wish but also need to understand the most recent developments and future prospects of higher education from an East Asian point of view. In Emerging International Dimensions in East Asian Higher Education, authors from a wide variety of cultural and academic backgrounds examine the changing context of East Asian higher education in the global, regional, and national dimensions

The analysis and case study material in this volume are strengthened by the wealth of contributors' diverse national and professional backgrounds.  Most have practical experience in the formulation of higher education policy in two or more countries.  The range of disciplinary perspectives that contributors brought to the book - including sociology, political science, anthropology, economics, philosophy and history - strengthen the multi-disciplinary approach, credibility, and uniqueness of the work.

Each chapter considers the impact of the emergence of international dimensions in East Asian Higher Education through detailed consideration of trends and debates over higher education reforms at the regional, sub-regional, inter-regional and national levels. Issues such as student mobility, cross-border higher education programs, quality assurance, and demands from the market economy, among others, are examined.

This book discusses emerging roles and functions of higher education and the implications for higher education as a public good in a context of globalization and regionalization.

Increases in the mobility of students, faculty and researchers across national borders and in the number and variety of cross-border linkages among higher education institutions have challenged the understanding of higher education as a public good in a single nation. At the same time, the increased privatization and marketization brought by globalization have provided new opportunities and vulnerabilities in markets no longer defined solely by national borders and governed only by national policy. The financial crisis of 2008 underscored these vulnerabilities, highlighting both the inter-dependence of economies and institutions but also the increasing multi-polarities of influence in higher education.

In parallel with increased student mobility globally is an increase in regional mobility of students, who are attracted to new centers of knowledge and research. As institutional quality is increasingly understood in a global context, universities from new regions of the world are moving to the top of world rankings at the same time that competition for students among lower ranking institutions has extended beyond traditional borders. In a variety of ways, individuals and institutions are increasingly looking to regional neighbors for students, opportunities for study, as well as instit

utional partnerships and collaboration.