Forget the Competition Trope

Abstract

The current debate on internationalization has revolved around the impacts of nationalist politics in many countries on student mobility. In recent research, we have questioned the usual assumption that major host countries have been engaged in an ongoing “brain race.” Through an analysis of the politics and public policies impacting international students in Australia, Canada, England, and the United States during a sixteen year period, we show that there is no clear pattern of “competition” among countries, but rather uncoordinated and inconsistent actions.