The internationalization policy of Higher Education. Effects, gaps and persistent asymmetries

Abstract

This paper discusses the internationalization of Higher Education’s policy and some of its effects. We use documentary analysis to review the way in which universities have assumed it, analyzing the policies that promote internationalization, the institutional reports that show the main results and the aspects that are measured in the University Rankings about the subject. One of the most significant findings of this research refers to the gap that exists between the conception of the policy that is adopted in the institutional discourse and the way it transcends and takes shape in the indicators that measure its effectiveness. In addition, the review of internationalization results shows the persistence of asymmetries between Higher Education institutions in more and less industrialized regions. This paper derives from the activities of the project of the International Group of Studies and Research of Higher Education.