The Internationalization of Public Universities in the Valencian Community (2019-2022): A Comparative Study in a Crisis Period

Abstract

The international vision in the Valencian public universities (Spain) is essential to make them competitive in a changing world, in need of transparency and accountability. Having into account this fact, within the framework of a doctoral research, we propose the following hypothesis: does the economic, organizational and institutional effort that the Valencian public universities are making in terms of internationalization correspond to the expected results in terms of quality, efficiency, institutional effectiveness and impact? From a comparative perspective, a double methodology has been used: qualitative and quantitative. The first one based on open interviews and the second one based on personalized surveys by groups. The results obtained in every university show the importance of the international vision in university policies (mobility, research, agreements, associative participation, networks and alliances, visibility, rankings, etc.) According to the data collected, it is already possible to advance a first conclusion stating that the universities of the Valencian public system are making a great effort in the development of their internationalization policies.