In East Asia, higher education has relied heavily on private and marketized forces in its rapid development process.  At the same time, state governments have introduced strong initiatives especially in upgrading the global positioning of their flagship universities through their pursuit of international competitiveness.  Currently, these well-known characteristics of East Asian higher education are challenged by the necessity to formulate international dimensions for regional and global well-being, without a clear consensus as to a regional future vision. 

The changing roles of East Asian higher education in a new global environment have implications for academics and policy-makers who not only wish but also need to understand the most recent developments and future prospects of higher education from an East Asian point of view. In Emerging International Dimensions in East Asian Higher Education, authors from a wide variety of cultural and academic backgrounds examine the changing context of East Asian higher education in the global, regional, and national dimensions

The analysis and case study material in this volume are strengthened by the wealth of contributors’ diverse national and professional backgrounds.  Most have practical experience in the formulation of higher education policy in two or more countries.  The range of disciplinary perspectives that contributors brought to the book – including sociology, political science, anthropology,

Each chapter considers the impact of the emergence of international dimensions in East Asian Higher Education through detailed consideration of trends and debates over higher education reforms at the regional, sub-regional, inter-regional and national levels. Issues such as student mobility, cross-border higher education programs, quality assurance, and demands from the market economy, among others, are examined.

Preface: Akiyoshi Yonezawa, Yuto Kitamura, Arthur Meerman and Kazuo Kuroda.-  Chapter 1: The Emergence of International Dimensions in East Asian Higher Education: Pursuing Regional and Global Development:  Akiyoshi Yonezawa, Yuto Kitamura, Arthur Meerman and Kazuo Kuroda.- Chapter 2: Higher Education as a Public Good in a Marketized East Asian Environment: Simon Marginson.- Chapter 3: Asian Research: The Role of Universities: William K. Cummings.- Chapter 4: The Institutional Prospects of Cross-Border Higher Education for East Asian Regional Integration: An Analysis of the JICA Survey of Leading Universities in East Asia: Kazuo Kuroda, Takako Yuki and Kyuwon Kang.- Chapter 5: The Harmonization of Higher Education in Southeast Asia: Supachai Yavaprabhas.- Chapter 6: China-ASEAN Relations in Higher Education: An Analytical Framework: Anthony Welch: Chapter 7: The Regionalization of Higher Education in Northeast Asia: Kiyong Byun and Sangheon Um.- Chapter 8: Subregional Collaboration in Higher Education: Harmonization and Networking in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS): Yasushi Hirosato.- Chapter 9: The Impact of Inter-University Exchange and Cooperation on Doctoral Programs in Southeast Asia: Naoki Umemiya, Akiyoshi Yonezawa, Toyohiko Yogo and Kazuo Tsutsumi.- Chapter 10: Tied to the Family and Bound to the Labor Market: Understanding Chinese Student Mobility in Japan: Gracia Liu-Farrer.-

This book discusses emerging roles and functions of higher education and the implications for higher education as a public good in a context of globalization and regionalization. It examines developments in higher education in the different regions of Asia, Europe, North America, Africa, and Latin America. It also presents cases of higher education reforms in previously under-examined regions such as South Asia and Eastern Europe.

Increases in the mobility of students, faculty and researchers across national borders and in the number and variety of cross-border linkages among higher education institutions have challenged the understanding of higher education as a public good in a single nation. At the same time, the increased privatization and marketization brought by globalization have provided new opportunities and vulnerabilities in markets no longer defined solely by national borders and governed only by national policy. The financial crisis of 2008 underscored these vulnerabilities highlighting both the inter-dependence of economies and institutions but also the increasing multi-polarities of influence in higher education.

In parallel with increased student mobility globally is an increase in regional mobility of students, who are attracted to new centers of knowledge and research. As institutional quality is increasingly understood in a global context, universities from new regions of the world are moving to the top of world rankings at the same time that competition for students among lower ranking institutions has extended beyond traditional borders. In a variety of ways, individuals and institutions are increasingly looking to regional neighbors, for students, opportunities for study, as well as institutional partnerships and collaboration