International Mobility and Societal Transformation: Insights from a Global Study

Group Submission Type: Formal Panel Session

Proposal

This panel presents the findings of a major research project that explores the contributions of international mobility to individual agency and systemic change across diverse global contexts. Unmatched in its scope and scale, this study employs a mixed-methods approach, drawing on 705 qualitative interviews conducted across 70 countries, alongside a comprehensive quantitative analysis of global cross-national time-series data. By integrating both qualitative and quantitative perspectives, the research uses advanced statistical methods to explore macro-level outcomes while also providing deep insights into the personal and contextual factors that drive transformation. Moreover, the study controls for individuals without mobility experiences, offering a nuanced understanding of how international mobility contributes to societal change.
Theoretical Framework
This study draws on Critical Realism, Transformative Learning Theory, and Transnationalism to understand how international mobility experiences contribute to societal change.
By employing Critical Realism, the research investigates how individuals, empowered by their experiences abroad, navigate and challenge socio-political structures upon returning to their home countries. This perspective is essential for understanding the conditions under which mobility experiences lead to meaningful societal transformations.
Transformative Learning Theory adds another layer of analysis, focusing on how exposure to different cultural and intellectual contexts fosters critical reflection and cognitive shifts. These experiences encourage individuals to challenge existing norms and adopt new perspectives, enhancing their ability to act as agents of change. This theoretical lens is vital for understanding how mobility experiences cultivate a critical consciousness, enabling individuals to engage in reflective social action.
Transnationalism provides another dimension by considering how international experiences create transnational spaces—arenas where knowledge, skills, and social capital circulate and evolve. These spaces facilitate the continuous exchange of ideas and practices, allowing returnees to maintain cross-border relationships and contribute to both their host and home societies. By highlighting these dynamics, the study underscores the importance of international mobility as a mechanism for fostering sustainable development and promoting inclusive growth.
Diversity of Contexts and Contributions
The panel presents six papers that collectively explore how international mobility influences societal change. Two papers employ quantitative methodologies to provide a broader analysis of global data on macro-level outcomes. One of these papers examines the impact of ECA mobility programmes, such as Fulbright, on sustainable development across low- and middle-income countries, using cross-national time-series data to assess correlations between the expansion of scholarship alumni and improvements in areas like education, health, and gender equality. The other paper investigates the relationship between international student mobility to democratic countries and the promotion of democratic values upon return, using dynamic panel regression models to analyse how the political environments of host countries shape students' contributions to democratisation efforts in their home countries.
The qualitative papers span diverse contexts and theoretical frameworks. One paper examines how international academic mobility among professionals in the MENA region cultivates relational capacities that enable them to challenge socio-political structures upon their return, drawing on Critical Realism to explore the interplay between structure and agency. Another paper investigates the concept of translocality through the experiences of young Southeast Asian leaders, showing how their participation in U.S.-based exchange programmes enhances their agency and ability to drive societal change by forming translocal connections that transcend geographic boundaries. A third study focuses on short-term mobility experiences in post-Soviet countries, highlighting how exposure to different social justice frameworks helps participants foster civil society development and governance reforms upon their return. The final paper explores the role of affects, such as joy and empathy, in shaping the long-term societal impact of mobility experiences, using French philosophy to illustrate how emotional responses during mobility can inspire ongoing social action and deeper community engagement even after participants return to their home countries.
Together, these studies reveal how international mobility fosters agency, critical reflection, and the creation of transnational and translocal spaces, contributing to societal change across various contexts.
Critical Insights and Policy Implications
While international mobility offers significant benefits, such as enhancing individual skills and developing cross-border connections, it is crucial to consider its broader implications. This panel engages with the complexities surrounding international mobility, including its potential to reinforce global inequalities and its environmental impact. Such reflections encourage a more nuanced understanding of international education's dual role: as a driver of positive change and as a phenomenon embedded within existing power structures and global dynamics.
The research highlights the importance of fostering not just technical skills and knowledge, but also critical reflexivity and a deep commitment to social change among participants of mobility programmes. Rather than simply replicating existing models, there is a need to reimagine these programmes in ways that enhance their developmental impact, particularly in contexts where socio-economic and political challenges are pronounced. This approach necessitates a careful balancing act, acknowledging the transformative potential of mobility while also addressing its limitations and unintended consequences.
The panel invites policymakers, educators, and international organisations to reflect on these findings and consider how future mobility programmes might be designed to contribute to sustainable and inclusive development. By exploring the conditions under which international mobility leads to meaningful societal outcomes, this discussion offers insights into how international education may align with broader goals of equity and sustainability.
Conclusions
This panel presents a wide range of perspectives on the transformative potential of international mobility, rooted in a complex theoretical framework and supported by extensive empirical evidence. By critically examining how mobility experiences can foster both individual development and systemic change, the panel underscores the need for a continued, yet thoughtful, expansion of international education programmes. The discussion will encourage participants to engage deeply with these insights, considering how the power of international mobility can be most effectively utilised for global development, balancing its benefits with a critical awareness of its broader implications.

Sub Unit

• Higher Education SIG

Organizer

• Maia Chankseliani, University of Oxford

Chair

• Maia Chankseliani, University of Oxford

Individual Presentations

• International Student Mobility and Sustainable Development - Joonghyun Kwak, University of Oxford; Maia Chankseliani, University of Oxford

• Higher Education and Democratisation in Authoritarian Countries - Maia Chankseliani, University of Oxford; Joonghyun Kwak, University of Oxford

• The Impact of Short Mobility Programmes on the Work of Civil Societies and NGOs within the Post-Soviet Context - Natalya V Hanley, University of Oxford

• Translocality and Agency: Exploring the Experiences of Internationally Mobile Change-makers - Zhe Wang, University of Oxford; Maia Chankseliani, University of Oxford