Trends in international trade in higher education : implications and options for developing countries
Bashir, Sujitha
International trade in higher education services has grown rapidly in recent years in a variety of forms. The most common form of this trade is the movement of students to study in foreign universities, which has been supplemented by the delivery of foreign higher education programs and institutions to transition and developing countries. Among the factors propelling demand for foreign higher education services are the excess demand for domestic higher education and the need for internationally recognized qualifications in emerging regional and global markets for highly skilled labor. Several countries have also deliberately encouraged foreign collaborations to improve the quality of domestic higher education. Despite the growth in international higher education trade, most developing countries have been unwilling to make binding commitments in the current round of GATS negotiations and in bilateral trade agreements. The objectives of this paper are to provide policy makers in developing countries, Bank staff and others associated with higher education policy development with information on and analyses of the recent trends in international trade in higher education and to present the policy issues and options that arise from it. It analyzes the trends, underlying factors and implications of the trade in higher education services and it discusses the implications of trade for domestic higher education systems in developing countries as well as policy choices and instruments.
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