‘Competition’ is ubiquitous in many fields, particularly in higher education today. Though at first sight straightforward and largely transactional in nature, it is in fact multi-layered and somewhat opaque. In higher education, competition informs and sustains practices both within the institution itself and in relation to external determinants of value such as rank, research excellence, internationalisation and technological innovation. As competitive actors, universities thus compete not only for financial resources and academic prestige, but also for symbolic capital, global visibility and strategic partnerships.

The articles in this special issue offer a context-sensitive framework for analysis that responds to the empirically observable competition in the higher education sector. Initially aimed at increasing efficiency, competition today is characterised by a broad spectrum of intended and unintended effects, which are discussed in this special issue.

Studies in Higher Education, Volume 49, Issue 10 (2024) contains among others, the following articles by INCHER members  & their co-authors:

Bloch, R., Mitterle, A., & Seidenschnur, T. (2024). How do universities compete? Introduction to the special issue. Studies in Higher Education, 49(10), 1701–1709. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2024.2395418

Seidenschnur, T., Götze, N., & Krücken, G. (2024). Multiple roles of the state – federal states and their roles in how universities compete in Germany. Studies in Higher Education, 49(10), 1753–1762. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2024.2392660