Inter-organizational Alliances of Universities in the Europe of Knowledge. Between Stakeholder Representation and Strategic Positioning in the Multi-level Multi-actor Governance Context

Global dynamics and European integration have been accompanied by various university alliances. In general, organizations seek alliances when they perceive their strategic position as vulnerable, are located in competitive sectors, or embedded in uncertain environments. While these factors may explain the drivers to form alliances, it is more unclear how such alliances work internally and towards the European level. On the one hand, such alliances represent a continuation of historical and institutional characteristics of higher education, affecting the internal organizations of the alliances and their approach towards the European level. On the other, university alliances could be a more radical break from traditional ways of organizing the international dimensions of university life, they could be conceived of as a form of de- and re-institutionalization of the sector. Through these two perspectives we analyze how the European University Association(EUA) and the League of European Research Universities(LERU) – influence European policy.