The Interplay between the International and European Dimension

A Case Study of the School of Management of Politecnico di Milano

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32674/fhwa8073

Keywords:

Europeanization, higher education, higher education institutions, institutional logics, internationalization, Politecnico di Milano

Abstract

European higher education institutions (HEIs) interpret in a unique way external impulses that play a core role in implementing the international and European dimensions. These dimensions can both converge and diverge inside HEIs, leading to organizational changes. This study aims to investigate the interplay between international and European dimensions, focusing on the case of the School of Management of the Politecnico di Milano. Using the institutional logics’ perspective, this qualitative case study analyzes data collected from institutional documents and semi-structured interviews. The findings indicate that the international and European dimensions diverge because of their institutional logics. Moreover, the individuals are identified as pivotal for successfully incorporating these dimensions within HEIs. Furthermore, the findings show the transformative potential of the European dimension. This study offers researchers and practitioners a new perspective on internationalization and Europeanization, linking these processes to the organizational dynamics of HEIs.

欧洲高等教育机构(HEIs)以独特的方式解读外部影响。这些影响在实施国际和欧洲维度中起着核心作用。这些维度在高等教育机构内部既可以趋同,也可以分化,从而引发组织变革。本研究旨在探讨国际和欧洲维度之间的相互作用,重点分析米兰理工大学管理学院的案例。通过制度逻辑的视角,本质性案例研究分析了从机构文件和半结构化访谈中收集的数据。研究结果表明,由于制度逻辑的不

同,国际和欧洲维度存在分歧。此外,个体被认为是在高等教育机构中成功融入这些维度的关键。研究还揭示了欧洲维度的转型潜力。本研究为研究人员和实践者提供了一个关于国际化和欧洲化的新视角,将这些过程与高等教育机构的组织动态联系起来。

Author Biography

  • Mattia Quinteri, Universität für Weiterbildung Krems

    Mattia Quinteri is an Italian higher education practitioner specialized in international relations, credential evaluation and higher arts education. His career profile includes roles in both the European and Asian higher education contexts, spanning public and private sector institutions. His research interests include artistic research, innovation in higher education, internationalization and Europeanization of higher education, and the European Universities Initiative. He is affiliated to Universität für Weiterbildung Krems and Tampere University (Finland) as an Erasmus Mundus student specialized in research and innovation in higher education. mattia.quinteri@gmail.com

References

Buckner, E. (2022). Embracing the global: The role of ranking, research mandate, and sector in the internationalisation of higher education. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 52(2), 232–249. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057925.2020.1753499

Butnaru Troncota, M., & Makarychev, A. (2022). Europeanization Through Education: Promoting European Studies In Eastern Partnership Countries. Journal of Contemporary European Research, 18(2). https://doi.org/10.30950/jcer.v18i2.1273

Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2023). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. (6th edition). SAGE.

Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry & research design: Choosing among five approaches (2nd edition). Sage Publications.

Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry & research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th edition). SAGE.

Dagen, T., Doušak, M., Fink-Hafner, D., Hafner-Fink, M., & Novak, M. (2019). Defining Internationalisation, Globalisation and Europeanisation in Higher Education. Teorija in Praksa 56(2) 643-659.

de Wit, H. (2011). Globalization and Internationalisation of Higher Education. Universities and Knowledge Society Journal, 8(2), 77. https://doi.org/10.7238/rusc.v8i2.1247

de Wit, H. (2023). Internationalization in Higher Education: Critical Reflections on Its Conceptual Evolution. International Higher Education, (115), 14–16. Retrieved from https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/ihe/article/view/16779

de Wit, H. (2024). ‘Everything That Quacks is Internationalization’—Critical Reflections on the Evolution of Higher Education Internationalization. Journal of Studies in International Education, 28(1), 3–14. https://doi.org/10.1177/10283153231221655

de Wit, H., & Altbach, P. G. (2021). Internationalization in higher education: Global trends and recommendations for its future. Policy Reviews in Higher Education, 5(1), 28–46. https://doi.org/10.1080/23322969.2020.1820898

de Wit, H. de, Hunter, F., Howard, L., & Egron-Polak, E. (2015). Internationalisation of higher education. European Parliament. https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2861/444393

European Commission. (2022). Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on a European Strategy for Universities, , 52022DC0016 COM/2022/16 final https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM%3A2022%3A16%3AFIN

Friedland, R., & Alford, R. (1991). Bringing Society Back In: Symbols, Practices, and Institutional Contradictions. In The New Institutionalism in Organizational Analysis. Edited by W. W. Powell & P. J. DiMaggio, (pp. 232–263). University of Chicago Press.

Heleta, S., & Chasi, S. (2023). Rethinking and redefining internationalisation of higher education in South Africa using a decolonial lens.Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 45(3), 261–275. https://doi.org/10.1080/1360080X.2022.2146566

Hunter, F., de Wit, H., Gregersen-Hermans, J., Jones, E., Murphy, A., & Ammigan, R. (2023). Internationalisation in higher education: Responding to new opportunities and challenges. Ten years of research by the Centre for Higher Education Internationalisation (CHEI) EduCatt.

Knight, J. (2008). Higher Education in Turmoil. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789087905224

Knight, J., & de Wit, H. (1995). Strategies for internationalisation of higher education: Historical and conceptual perspectives. In Strategies for the Internationalisation of Higher Education. A Comparative Study of Australia, Canada, Europe and the United States of America. Edited by J. Knight & H. de Wit (pp. 5–32). European Association for International Education.

Kushnir, I., & Brooks, R. (2022). UK membership(s) in the European Higher Education Area post-2020: A ‘Europeanisation’ agenda. European Educational Research Journal, 147490412210830. https://doi.org/10.1177/14749041221083073

Marginson, S. (2023). Limitations of the leading definition of ‘internationalisation’ of higher education: Is the idea wrong or is the fault in reality? Globalisation, Societies and Education, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/14767724.2023.2264223

Merriam, S. B. (1998). Qualitative research and case study applications in education (2nd ed). Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Rubin, H. J., & Rubin, I. (2012). Qualitative interviewing: The art of hearing data (3rd edition). SAGE.

Stensaker, B., Lee, J. J., Rhoades, G., Ghosh, S., Castiello-Gutiérrez, S., Vance, H., Çalıkoğlu, A., Kramer, V., Liu, S., Marei, M. S., O’Toole, L., Pavlyutkin, I., & Peel, C. (2019). Stratified University Strategies: The Shaping of Institutional Legitimacy in a Global Perspective. The Journal of Higher Education, 90(4), 539–562. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2018.1513306

Tight, M. (2021). Globalization and internationalization as frameworks for higher education research. Research Papers in Education, 36(1), 52–74. https://doi.org/10.1080/02671522.2019.1633560

Thornton, P. H., Ocasio, W., & Lounsbury, M. (2012). The institutional logics perspective: A new approach to culture, structure, and process. Oxford University Press.

Yin, R. K. (2014). Case study research: Design and methods (5th ed). SAGE.

Downloads

Published

2025-03-05

Issue

Section

2024 Emerging Scholar Summary - 16(6) 2024

How to Cite

The Interplay between the International and European Dimension: A Case Study of the School of Management of Politecnico di Milano. (2025). Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education, 16(6), 22-27. https://doi.org/10.32674/fhwa8073