Together with his colleague Meng-Hsuan Chou from NTU Singapore, our CHER member Jens Jungblut, from the Department of Political Science, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Oslo, was successful in getting a panel accepted at the International Conference on Public Policy in Chiang Mai Thailand July 2-4, 2025.

Their panel is on "Comparing Higher Education Policy in Asia: Politics, Actors, and Processes" and you can find the call for papers below.

If you are interested in contributing to the panel, please submit your abstracts via the web site of the IPPA by January 31,2025: https://www.ippapublicpolicy.org/conference/icpp7-chiang-mai-2025/21.

The number of the panel is T21P05.

Comparing Higher Education Policy in Asia: Politics, Actors, and Processes

Asia is an exciting region for examining contemporary higher education politics and policies. Traditionally a sending region of international students, scholars, and scientists to established institutions in the West, Asian governments are transforming the region into an attractive global destination for scientific talents. This is visible in world university rankings where flagship universities from China, Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, or South Korea are recognised alongside top institutions from the West. Asia is also where new initiatives facilitating intra-, inter-, and trans-regional higher education cooperation are observed; hence, positioning the region as a node in the global higher education landscape. As Asian governments strive to stabilise their higher education systems amid demographic pressures and skill shortages, the literature tells us that non-democratic states would struggle to meet the demands of widening higher education access at the risk of system stability. Asia is home to a variety of democratic and authoritarian regimes; thus, examining the Asian experience provides an opportunity to assess this assumed relationship between higher education policies and democratic development, and how governments in the region are meeting global challenges.

This panel invites papers addressing one or several of the following overarching themes. First, the politics of higher education governance reforms focusses on how governments steer higher education, and the tools used to ensure that universities meet state and societal expectations. Second, the politics of higher education finance covers how higher education is funded and the politics behind changes in the funding system. Third, the framing of higher education policy over time explores how governments talk about higher education policy and the linkages they create between this policy area and other issues (e.g., economic growth, social mobility). Fourth, the varieties of Asian higher education regionalism identify the forms of, and mechanisms driving, regional institutional and policy collaboration.

All contributions must be empirically-grounded in at least one Asian country case study and analytically address the following: how higher education policies evolve over time, the robustness of existing higher education analytical frameworks and concepts, and any regional specificities concerning the role(s) of key actors, discourses, and structures in policy processes.

It is a pleasure to share with you the news that the Special Issue from the CHER 2023 Conference has been published in the European Journal of Higher Education.

This Special Issue publishes a selection of articles presented at the CHER 35th Annual Conference, hosted by the Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU), and it is edited by Barbara Sporn and Ana Godonoga. European Journal of Higher Education, Volume 14, Issue sup1, October 2024 is now available online on Taylor & Francis Online.  

Abstract of the Introduction by the Editors, Barbara Sporn and Ana Godonoga:

 Higher education institutions (HEIs) can be considered both objects and subjects of societal change. They are impacted by transformations in society, including technological advancement, climate change, demographic shifts, and geopolitical tensions, but they are also in a position to create a positive impact on society. This requires HEIs to adapt to changing external contexts, which has implications for how education and research activities are designed and implemented, and how organisational structures and practices are reconfigured to strengthen linkages between universities and society. How higher education adapts to multiple and often conflicting demands and how through adaptation, HEIs can become more active change agents in society were of central interest to the 2023 CHER (Consortium of Higher Education Researchers) Conference and this special issue. The seven contributions presented herein provide a contemporary account on adaptation and impact in European higher education drawing on diverse theoretical perspectives, empirical data, and geographical contexts.

We would like to invite you to the upcoming public lecture organised by the Institute for Higher Education Management.

Title: This Time is Different? AI’s impact on Graduates’ Labour Market and its implications for Higher Education

Date: Thursday, November 21, 2024 at 4pm CET

Speaker: Pedro Nuno Teixeira, Full Professor of Economics at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Porto

Location: WU Vienna University of Economics and Business, Institute for Higher Education

Management, Building D5, 6th Floor, Room D5.6.029 (http://campus.wu.ac.at/)

The event location has barrier free access.

For those who cannot attend in person, can join us online via MS Teams livestream.

Please express your interest by registering at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Abstract:

In recent years we have seen a surge of interest about the potential impacts of AI in the labour market, especially given the striking developments in generative AI that have challenged dominant perceptions about how much this will affect graduates position in the labour market. This debate has been framed by past experiences with automation and technological progress that tended to favour those with more education, qualifications, and experience. However, recent preliminary analyses suggest that this time may be different and that AI’s impact in the labour market for graduates (both recent and more experienced) may not be negligible. This will pose major challenges to higher education. In this session we will analyse existing evidence about the impact of AI in graduates’ labour market and reflect about the challenges and opportunities faced by higher education if those expectations materialize.

About the speaker

Pedro Nuno Teixeira is Full Professor of Economics at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Porto and a former Director of CIPES – Centre of Research in Higher Education Policies (2009-2022). His areas of specialization are the economics of education and the history of economic thought.

He has published in a broad range of scientific journals in his areas of interest and has authored or edited several volumes for Oxford UP, Springer, Kluwer, Palgrave, Routledge, Edward Elgar, Brill, and Sense. He is the editor of Human Capital: Critical Concepts in Economics, 4 vols. (Routledge, 2014) and Editor-in-Chief of The International Encyclopaedia of Higher Education, 3 vols. (Springer, 2020). He has been a member of the Editorial Board of Higher Education, the European Journal of Higher Education, Higher Education Policy, and the Journal of Research in Higher Education. He was a member of the Board of Governors (2007-2022) and Secretary General (2013-2022) of the Consortium of Higher Education Researchers (CHER). Since 2003 he has been a Research Fellow at the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), and since 2005 a Fellow of the Program for Research on Private Higher Education (PROPHE). He has also served on the evaluation panels for the European University Association (EUA) and the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA). He has been a national expert for DG Education and a member of the EU Network of Experts on the Economics of Education. He is a member of Academia Europaea since 2021.

He has served as a special adviser to the President of Portugal on Higher Education and Science (2016-2021) and on Higher Education and Economic Affairs (2021-2022). He was Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs at U.Porto (2014-2018) and a member of Portugal’s National Council of Education (2014-2018). Between March 2022 and April 2024, he was the Secretary of State for Higher Education in the Portuguese Government.

On October 30, 2024, we would like to invite you to join the CHELPS Global Webinar Series for a talk with Prof Keith D. Walker (University of Saskatchewan) and Prof Benjamin Kutsuyruba (Queen's University) sharing their insights on higher education policies and practices in addressing the challenges of mental health and human flourishing.

Drawing on the initiatives, practices, and structures that provide a positive outlook on individual and organisational flourishing in higher learning, the presenters will share key lessons from efforts to promote positive emotional and social nurturing through student resilience and leadership, supervisory relationships, appreciative mentoring, student thriving, issues of mental and physical health, faculty and leader wellbeing, development of wellbeing interventions and health promotion frameworks, and international student wellbeing.

Please register by using this Zoom link: https://eduhk.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAudO6tpzwoG9eaKGGsVs0D_ksxjlC02Faf.

About Presenters:

Keith D. Walker is a Professor in the Department of Educational Administration at the University of Saskatchewan, Canada. He has consulted with senior educational leaders, development bank leaders, and public sector executives worldwide. For over 35 years, Professor Walker has taught educational law and professionalism, organizational theory/behaviour, policy-making, school improvement and renewal, political, ethical and jurisprudential philosophy, case-based leadership and ethics courses. Keith is currently a Provincial Cabinet-appointed member of the Saskatchewan Higher Education Quality Assurance Board.

Benjamin Kutsyuruba is a Professor of Educational Leadership, Policy, and School Law in the Faculty of Education at Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Benjamin has worked as a teacher, researcher, manager, and professor in the field of education in Ukraine and Canada. His research interests include educational leadership and policymaking; teacher development, induction, and mentorship; wellbeing and flourishing; school climate and safety; trust, moral agency, and ethics, among others.