Routledge Building Cross-border Joint Universities in China: A Study of Organizational Dilemma (Education and Society in China)

This book examines the interactions and dynamics between one cross-border joint-university and its social environment in the process of institutional transplantation and organizational adaptation. This study specifically demonstrates the interplays between the joint-university and its key players, including partners, government, market, parents, and the general public. By examining a variety of tensions between the joint-university and its key social actors, this research suggests a concept of "organizational dilemma" to capture the characteristics embedded in cross-border joint-universities in mainland China, and as an analytical model to unpack the tensions giving rise to the dilemmatic feature. Review "In this beautifully crafted book, Dr. Qin provides valuable insights into the significant growth area of cross-border education, with a focus on China. China is leading the world in developing cross-border educational initiatives, with over 1.5 million graduates of such programmes to date. And yet, very little is still known about the social dimensions of these initiatives (far more work has concentrated on their economic components). This book draws on impressive qualitative, multi-sited fieldwork, comprising over 80 in-depth interviews with students and university staff, plus a review of related policy documents, to examine the partnerships between one Chinese university and its overseas ‘partners’. The book provides a unique ‘socio-cultural’ perspective, focusing on both the individual and the organisations involved and engaging with the quotidian interactions and experiences that constitute such cross-border collaborations. This book will undoubtedly be of interest to anyone working in the fields of international higher education, sociology of education, educational policy and social geographies of education." -Johanna L. Waters, Professor of Human Geography, University College London "Building Cross-border Joint Universities in China is an important study. Meticulously researched and carefully argued, it is the kind of scholarly work which can change the way we think about its topic. China’s higher education at this time is exceptionally open-minded and internationalised, yet when it goes out to the world, it does not cease to be Chinese. It provides an alternative model to the standard Euro-American approaches, and given the global weight of the Chinese economy and the depth of educational capability in China, that model will become increasingly influential. The future in international education will not be the same as the past. Dr. Qin Yunyun helps to take us to that future." -Simon Marginson, Professor of Higher Education, University of Oxford, and Director of the Centre for Global Higher Education "An important contribution to our understanding of the dynamic higher education landscape in contemporary China. With rich empirical data and deep theoretical engagements, Qin dissects the nature and working of a cross-border joint-university. The book charts the complex relationships and tensions among the key institutions ? ranging from the state to the family ? in this new education model. Qin’s careful analysis underlines the importance of context, and the transformative power of borders, which explain the ever changing geographies of education."-Maggi Leung, Associate Professor, Utrecht University "This book investigates an important form of cross-border higher education: cross-border jointly-established universities. By examining the complex interactions between such universities and their social context, this research addresses an enduring question in comparative education: the interrelations between internationalization and localization. How to position Chinese and Western traditions in higher education? Is it possible to build universities integrating various cultural traditions, how and why? Without giving definite answers, this book is a good start and has opened doors to m