COVID-19 and the institutional fabric of higher education

Abstract

This edited book comprises a number of chapters analysing the impact of COVID-19 in countries in Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia-Pacific. The theme of the book relates to an analysis of the interplay between ‘macro’, ‘meso’ and ‘micro’ elements or factors underpinning higher education (HE) systems and their respective institutions (HEIs); and how they, either on their own or in cooperation with each other, addressed the challenges posed by COVID-19 beginning in March 2020. The rich empirical chapters demonstrate vividly how HEIs and, in many cases, policymakers responded to the various threats as well as opportunities posed by the pandemic. Four key features or mechanisms stand out unambiguously in the manner in which countries and their respective HE systems responded to the crisis, namely, rationality, cooperation, resilience and innovation These insights suggest that, as alluded to in earlier studies, autonomy or self-organisation combined with pluralistic forms (internal diversity) of addressing novelty helps overcome the inherent challenges posed by ‘bounded rationality’ whilst facing novel and adverse situations.