How much we know about university internationalization and university autonomy: An exploratory review

In this paper we aim to deepen our theoretical and practical understanding of internationalization of universities by exploring the relationship between university internationalization and university autonomy. It has become an accepted practice for universities to incorporate internationalization in their mission statements and strategic plans. Conventional wisdom suggests that universities should adapt their strategies, resources, and structures and organizations to international environments. However, recent examples of university internationalization failures and withdrawals from international markets raise concerns about the sustainability of university internationalization efforts as well as about the erosion of individual and university-wide autonomy. Herein, we conjecture that the process of university internationalization and its sustainability is determined by the structure and exercise of university autonomy settings at home and in host countries. We conducted a systematic review of the literature to identify empirical studies that theorize and conceptualize the intersection between university internationalization and university autonomy. We put forward a process model of university internationalization and develop propositions to guide future research at this intersection. The novelty of this research lies in its focus on a phenomenon that has received scant attention in academic research and policy debates, namely sustainability of university internationalization viewed through the lenses of university autonomy.