ABSTRACT Jane Knight's definition of knowledge diplomacy is deliberately generic, designed to apply across diverse geopolitical contexts and sectors. Knight's framework identifies reciprocity and mutuality as core values, and her subsequent reflection highlights an important risk: ‘Social washing,’ in which partnerships adopt the language of shared commitment while falling short in practice. Building on this foundation, we propose reciprocity, mutual benefit, and relational continuity as evaluative criteria. Drawing primarily on examples from the Asia‐Pacific, we examine the institutional work required to sustain these qualities. We argue that these qualities do not arise automatically, even under favourable geopolitical conditions, and that various actors must coordinate to build and maintain knowledge diplomacy. Sustainability rests on this ongoing work, while solidarity involves sharing authority, resources, and risk. We invite scholars to use emerging technologies and new data sources to investigate whether and how international higher education, research, and innovation partnerships strengthen relations between countries.
ABSTRACT This article reports on how established academics, the world around, conceptualise intellectual leadership and experience impediments to its practice. It identifies financial enfeeblement, temporal incongruence, and institutional silencing as organisational dysfunctions that induce profound role dissonance between what faculty believe intellectual leadership should be and the reality of conditions that curb such ambition. Drawing on data from an international survey of n = 598 professors spanning 64 countries, this article presents how a temporality of the present, characterised by pervasive attacks on higher education by populist forces and the stubborn resilience of its neoliberal organisation, has produced a particular milieu of academic arrhythmia that threatens the permanent abandonment of the professoriate as a source for scholarly and public good.
ABSTRACT For many early‐career academics (ECAs), unstable and short‐term contracts are a major contributor to employment precarity. However, even when job security improves, feelings of professional and personal insecurity often persist. This study uses psychological precarity as an analytical lens to examine how such insecurity is experienced and internalised, shaped not only by employment conditions but also by institutional culture, role ambiguity, and the search for professional legitimacy. A reflexive thematic analysis of longitudinal focus group data with 12 early career researchers over a 12‐month period in a higher education institution was conducted. Five themes were identified: (1) the persistence of psychological precarity beyond job security; (2) systemic drivers of precarity; (3) navigating the boundaries of an ill‐defined role and workload; (4) relational supports and complexities; and (5) the search for work‐related value and meaning. Rather than identifying new forms of insecurity, the findings demonstrate how employment insecurity, organisational ambiguity, identity, and relational dynamics interact to produce enduring experiences of psychological precarity. The study highlights the value of psychological precarity as an analytical lens for understanding early academic careers and offers institutional recommendations to reduce psychological burden, particularly within international higher education contexts.
ABSTRACT University faculty tend to produce more publications when they feel capable (i.e., competent) and motivated to conduct research. Previous studies have typically measured faculty research competencies using self‐report Likert‐scale, which are susceptible to socially desirable responses and other biases. This study aimed to (a) examine discrepancies between self‐reported research efficacy and scores on the competencies test, (b) investigate how social science faculty research competence predicts motivation and success, and (c) test whether motivation serves as a mediator. Data were collected online from 140 social science faculty at North American universities. To obtain more reliable assessments of faculty competence, a new measure was developed in accordance with the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing . The development process began followed by two systematic literature reviews and psychometric evaluation using both classical test theory and item response theory. Results showed that faculty tended to rate their self‐reported efficacy (belief) significantly higher than their test‐based competence (performance). Group differences revealed that female and older faculty demonstrated higher research competence, with female faculty also reporting greater research success, while younger faculty exhibited stronger autonomous motivation. Domestic faculty scored higher on research competence and motivation compared to international colleagues. Path analyses indicated that competence scores significantly predicted autonomous motivation and faculty research success. Negative binomial regression analyses further revealed that faculty tenure status, institution classification, and autonomous motivation significantly predicted publication success. Overall, this competence test provides a more valid measure for identifying areas where faculty can improve research skills, supporting strategies to enhance research productivity and success.
ABSTRACT Trust crucially shapes cooperation among social actors across micro, meso and macro levels, yet its impact on higher education policy and management remains under‐researched. This study positions trust at the forefront of higher education governance by examining its dynamics, influencing factors and effects on board roles. Grounded in literature, we develop an analytical model to investigate the complex interplay between organisational factors, formal role design of boards, actors' trustworthiness and board roles. This model is applied to three Hungarian universities undergoing structural reform. In this ‘model change’ process, boards of newly established public interest asset management foundations replaced the state as owners, gaining substantial authority over institutions. This shift provides a unique opportunity to explore how trust between the board and the university affects board roles, offering insights into trust dynamics during systemic transitions.
