How do institutional transnational education policies reflect global scholarly discourse and national regulatory frameworks?

• In Event: Navigating global, national and local education policies and practices

Proposal

Responding to the forces of globalization, higher education institutions (HEIs) are increasingly engaging in transnational higher education (TNE) initiatives such as joint and dual degree (JDD) programs to complement resources, expand capacity, and increase their global footprint (LeBeau & Zhang, 2022). Despite the growing importance of TNE, universities often operate within the constraints of national regulatory frameworks. A study of 245 institutions across 28 countries revealed that while 95% of institutions include JDD programs in their internationalization strategies, only 55% reported having clear institutional policies guiding their development (Obst et al., 2011). This discrepancy highlights a gap between the strategic importance placed on JDD programs and the actual clarity of the policies that support their development and implementation. The gap points to a need to explore how global and national influences are represented in institutional policies and how this representation might impact the effectiveness of TNE initiatives. Research on the depiction of these dynamics in joint and dual degree programs is still limited. As Tamtik and Jang (2018) observed, national influences are frequently reflected in university mission statements and strategic plans.

This study therefore explores how a Chinese university’s TNE policies, specifically in managing transnational JDD programs, depict global and national forces. The central research question is: How do institutional TNE policies reflect global scholarly discourse and national regulatory frameworks in the Chinese context?

Using the glonacal agency heuristic by Marginson and Rhoades (2002), the study examines the interactions between global, national, and local influences on institutional policy. Sixteen policy documents from national and institutional levels were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify how these policies reflect both national orientations and international discourse. Adapting the approach of Yang et al. (2021) and Xie et al. (2022), international scholarly discussions were considered as the global dimension, while China’s regulatory framework for TNE, known as the Chinese-Foreign Cooperation in Running Schools (CFCRS) and other policies were considered as national dimension.

A three-phase approach guided the analysis. Phase 1 involved thematic coding of the Chinese university's TNE policies to identify both national and international discourses. A thematic framework emerged from this process, which was used to guide the remaining analysis. Phase 2 summarized national policy aspects related to transnational programs. Phase 3 applied the thematic framework to explore global scholarly discourse and its interaction with national and institutional dimensions.

The findings reveal that the university’s policies align with both global and national agendas, with seven key themes emerging from the analysis: facilitating global and regional alliances, cultivating global talent, promoting a knowledge economy, fostering internationalization, staying aware of emerging trends, ensuring regulatory compliance, and aligning with national strategic development plans. While the university positions itself to contribute to China’s development priorities, its policies are also shaped by global academic discourse, reflecting a dual alignment rather than a purely national focus. However, the study also finds limited evidence of influence flowing from the local (university) level to national or global policy frameworks, raising important questions about the capacity of HEIs to shape higher education policies beyond their immediate contexts. This calls for a deeper reflection on how universities can balance global and national priorities without compromising their own strategic goals. By adapting the glonacal agency heuristic to the policy domain, this study provides new insights into how HEIs, particularly in China, can navigate the challenges of globalization while responding to national imperatives. The findings offer practical recommendations for institutional leaders and policymakers to develop more coherent and integrated policies for TNE initiatives, ensuring a balanced response to both global influences and national priorities.

Author

• Oluwasegun Adesola Oladipo, Independent Researcher/Consultant