Does Globalization Lead to Convergence in Higher Education? An Empirical Study of Four East Asian University Systems, 1946–1996: Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand
Abstract
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It has been widely assumed that globalization inevitably leads to convergence, which is generally defined as a tendency of societies to grow more alike. This paper investigates the claim of convergence by examining changes in four aspects of university policies in four East Asian polities, namely, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand, over a period of 50 years. The four policies being examined in this study are student enrollment, female participation, medium of instruction, and university regulation.
Findings show that while universities, being part of the international academic community, are susceptible to the influence of global forces and tend to become more and more alike in structures, processes, and systems, they are also under the dominance of their governments and local forces whose influences set them apart from their counterparts in other parts of the world in various ways. It is found that convergence and divergence can both exist at different aspects of the same policy or practice and that convergence occurs in some countries but not others. Its presence depends on which aspect of a policy or practice is examined and when and where. The actual outcome is determined by the dynamic interaction of global, regional, national, and local forces.
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