Geographies of Marketization in Higher Education: Branch Campuses as Territorial and Symbolic Fixes

IF 7.2 1区经济学 Q1 ECONOMICS

Economic Geography Pub Date : 2021-06-24 DOI:10.1080/00130095.2021.1933937

J. M. Kleibert

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引用次数: 14

Abstract

Abstract The role of higher education institutions as active agents of globalization and marketization remains relatively little explored. Economic geographic perspectives are particularly well placed to investigate globalizing higher education as an important economic sector, in addition to its supportive role in the knowledge economy. Drawing on political economic and cultural economic perspectives on marketization and geographic fixes, the study analyzes the motivations and spatial strategies for geographic expansion of universities through the establishment of branch campuses. Based on qualitative interviews with key decision-makers of English universities, I argue that (international) branch campuses enable a range of geographic fixes for higher education institutions: a territorial fix through the geographic expansion and construction of segmented markets and a symbolic fix through the relocation of campuses to places that promise reputational gains. The rapid growth of British branch campuses abroad and domestically (in the global city of London) involve substantial financial and reputational risks and as fixes constitute only temporary stabilizations. The conceptualization of symbolic fixes, in addition to territorial fixes, may enable a more nuanced understanding of the role of space in the construction of segmented, yet relational markets that combines intersecting political economic and cultural economic logics.

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高等教育市场化的地理:作为地域和象征的分校

摘要高等教育机构作为全球化和市场化的积极推动者的作用仍然很少被探索。除了高等教育在知识经济中的支持作用外，经济地理视角特别适合研究全球化高等教育作为一个重要的经济部门。本研究从市场化和地理定位的政治经济学和文化经济学角度，分析了大学通过建立分校进行地理扩张的动机和空间策略。基于对英国大学主要决策者的定性采访，我认为（国际）分校为高等教育机构提供了一系列地理定位：通过地理扩张和构建细分市场来实现领土定位，通过将校园搬迁到有望获得声誉的地方来实现象征性定位。英国国内外（全球城市伦敦）分校的快速增长涉及巨大的财务和声誉风险，因为修复只是暂时的稳定。除了领土固定之外，象征性固定的概念化可能使人们能够更细致地理解空间在构建分割但关系型市场中的作用，这种市场结合了交叉的政治-经济和文化-经济逻辑。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Economic Geography Multiple-

CiteScore

9.70

自引率

2.90%

发文量

期刊介绍： Economic Geography is a peer-reviewed journal dedicated to publishing original research that advances the field of economic geography. Their goal is to publish high-quality studies that are both theoretically robust and grounded in empirical evidence, contributing to our understanding of the geographic factors and consequences of economic processes. It welcome submissions on a wide range of topics that provide primary evidence for significant theoretical interventions, offering key insights into important economic, social, development, and environmental issues. To ensure the highest quality publications, all submissions undergo a rigorous peer-review process with at least three external referees and an editor. Economic Geography has been owned by Clark University since 1925 and plays a central role in supporting the global activities of the field, providing publications and other forms of scholarly support. The journal is published five times a year in January, March, June, August, and November.