Institutionalizing Inclusion in Higher Education: A Comparative Study of Universities in Germany and Luxembourg

Investigating the institutionalization of inclusive higher education, the study focuses on how such policies and programs have evolved in Germany and Luxembourg. Embedded in transnational discourses on academic excellence, democracy, and inclusion, the latter bolstered by global ratification of human rights charters (UN-CRPD), the analysis draws on neo-institutionalist theory and the sociology of values to examine the on-going tension between universities’ commitments to academic excellence and their obligations to recognize diversity and to promote equity, justice, and inclusion. While diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs refer to human rights, they often serve aspart of strategies to bolster university reputations in competitive markets. Increasingly worldwide, contemporary political backlash has challenged the legitimacy and scope of DEI agendas. Raising questions about (de)institutionalization dynamics, we compare three research universities – Goethe Universität Frankfurt, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, and the Université du Luxembourg – through document analysis of DEI strategies and programs. These publicly funded organizations represent varying models of university governance. While these research universities have adopted DEI frameworks, the extent and orientation differ, shaped by organizational type and age, national and local context, and strategic priorities. The findings contribute to our understanding of persistent competing logics and values of excellence and inclusion in higher education.