Lifting the smokescreen of science diplomacy: the political instrumentation of Science and Innovation centres

Scientific Conference (2021, August 10)

Conferences and international collaboration revisited in times of the coronavirus: Experiences from a digital transition and lessons for the future

E-print/Working paper (2020)

"Everything was booked and ready to go for a two-day scientific workshop on education policies in Europe, scheduled for April 23-24, 2020 at the Hertie School in Berlin. The workshop intended to take ... [more ▼]

"Everything was booked and ready to go for a two-day scientific workshop on education policies in Europe, scheduled for April 23-24, 2020 at the Hertie School in Berlin. The workshop intended to take stock of developments at the European, national and sub-national levels given the European Union’s wrap up of its decade-long Education & Training 2020 strategy (ET 2020), a framework for cooperation in education and training. However, on March 12, we had to cancel the physical meeting on short notice due to the coronavirus crisis. In the following, we share our experiences with the subsequent transition to an alternative online workshop format that took place on April 23, involving 25 participants from 10 countries, and 16 paper presentations. After sketching the workshop’s virtual setup, we discuss strengths, weaknesses, and challenges related to this digital transition. Furthermore, we explore the prospects of such online formats for future academic conferences and networking." [less ▲]

The long and winding road: analysing Science and Innovation Centres, a unique policy instrument of Science Diplomacy

Scientific Conference (2019, September 05)

The aim of this paper is to empirically contribute to the study of science diplomacy and thereby introduce and analyse science and innovation centres (SIC) as a novel policy instrument in the science ... [more ▼]

The aim of this paper is to empirically contribute to the study of science diplomacy and thereby introduce and analyse science and innovation centres (SIC) as a novel policy instrument in the science diplomacy toolbox. SIC are distinct units or satellite institutes, established by governments abroad, operating at the nexus of higher education, research, innovation and diplomacy. Based on a comparative analysis of policy documents and interview data, insights into the development of SIC in Germany and Switzerland are generated. Furthermore, the (changing) political rationales that guide their development, and hence science diplomacy in general, are distilled. By applying a policy instrumentation lens, the research 1) uncovers the development of the two SIC over time reflecting similarities and differences, 2) shows that the political rationales for SIC are changing and exceed dominant science diplomacy notions of soft power, 3) reveals that the promotion of the concept of science diplomacy reflects a certain Zeitgeist and rather than being a novelty, existing practices are relabelled as science diplomacy. [less ▲]

Goethe Institute für Wissenschaft und Innovation?

Presentation (2017, November 23)

Book Review: Policy Analysis of Structural Reforms in Higher Education

in Zeitschrift Hochschule und Weiterbildung (2017), 2

Stakeholders and quality assurance

in Journal of the European Higher Education Area (2013), 2013(4), 71--86

How are stakeholders represented in higher education institutions? decision-making that influences the quality of education, and are their viewpoints taken into account? These were the main questions ... [more ▼]

How are stakeholders represented in higher education institutions? decision-making that influences the quality of education, and are their viewpoints taken into account? These were the main questions addressed in this part of the seven-country comparative study. Findings indicate that formal barriers are largely absent, that stakeholder influence has grown somewhat over recent years, but that actual influence of stakeholders can be further optimised in higher education institutions. [less ▲]

A post-graduation policy perspective on international student mobility in four countries - shoud they stay or should they go?

in Th&Ma: Tijdschrift voor Hoger Onderwijs en Management (2012), 2012(1), 39--43

The mobility of international students is a major trend and highly supported in recent years, not only in the frame of exchange programs, but also in the form of degree mobility. Many foreign students ... [more ▼]

The mobility of international students is a major trend and highly supported in recent years, not only in the frame of exchange programs, but also in the form of degree mobility. Many foreign students move abroad to pursue a degree: in 1975, 600.000 students were mobile worldwide, compared to 2.8 million mobile students in 2007. Forecasts expect the number to increase to about 8 million by 2025 (OECD, 2009b). Critics claim that international student mobility typically shows a flow from the South to the North, in other words, from developing to developed countries. This may lead to a brain gain situation for developed countries and a brain drain for developing countries. The current article (based on the situation in 2010) explores to what extent four developed countries take measures to develop such a brain-drain brain-gain situation into a situation of brain-circulation. [less ▲]