Internationalisation or Europeanisation? Capturing Dynamic Concepts in Higher Education Institutions

The myriad international crises in recent years have highlighted the importance of responses from Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in contending with global challenges. In the European Higher Education Area, HEIs play a core role in implementing the international and European dimensions in higher education. Internationalisation and Europeanisation are shaped by HEIs’ structures and individuals, and due to their evolving nature, they are dynamic concepts with contested definitions. Through the institutional logics’ perspective, this paper will investigate (1) how international and European dimensions diverge within HEIs in the EHEA, (2) explore the predominant steering mechanisms employed by HEIs to facilitate the inclusion of the international and/or European dimensions, (3) outline the roles that individuals play in fostering international and European dimensions, and (4) what effects do external factors have on HEIs’ organisational autonomy. This conceptual analysis will provide researchers and stakeholders with a framework which showcases how internationalisation and Europeanisation, despite their dynamicity, can be captured within HEIs, following the logics embedded in their activities.