This article is based on the case study of the establishment of the campus of Tongji University (TU) in Florence, Italy, in 2014. This is the first offshore campus of a Chinese university in a Western country, showing an innovative trend, in particular concerning the legitimacy within the host sociopolitical and economic context. This article frames the case in the scenario of academic internationalization and Chinese higher education. The article analyzes the internationalization strategy of TU and the peculiar evolution of Florence as an “education hub,” and gives a detailed account of the process leading to the establishment of the campus. Conclusions emphasize the innovative features related to Tongji’s choice to follow a delocalized platform approach and to network with local actors. This imposes a more complex view of the impact on the host region.
AltbachP. G.KnightJ. (2007). The internationalization of higher education: Motivations and realities. Journal of Studies in International Education, 11, 290-305.
2.
CammelliA.GasperoniG. (2015). 16th AlmaLaurea report on Italian university graduates’ profile: Opportunities and challenges for higher education in Italy (AlmaLaurea Working Papers No. 74). Retrieved from http://www2.almalaurea.it/universita/pubblicazioni/wp/index.shtml
3.
Città di Firenze. (2014). A report for investors: Higher education. Florence, city of international knowledge. Florence, Italy: Comune di Firenze.
4.
EnnewC.FujiaY. (2009). Foreign universities in China: A case study. European Journal of Education, 44, 21-36.
5.
FarrugiaC.LaneJ. (2013). Legitimacy in cross-border higher education: Identifying stakeholders of international branch campuses. Journal of Studies in International Education, 17, 414-432.
6.
HeL. (2016). Transnational higher education institutions in China: A comparison of policy orientation and reality. Journal of Studies in International Education, 20, 79-95.
7.
HuangF. (2007). Internationalisation of higher education in the era of globalisation: What have been its implications in China and Japan?Higher Education Management and Policy, 19, 47-62.
8.
Istituto Regionale Programmazione Economica della Toscana. (2013). Educating in paradise: The Value of North American Study Abroad Porgrams in Italy – Characteristics, Impact and Prospects. Retrieved from http://www.aacupi.org/
JohansonJ.VahlneJ.-E. (2009). The Uppsala internationalization process model revisited: From liability of foreignness to liability of outsidership. Journal of International Business Studies, 40, 1411-1431.
11.
KnightJ. (2004). Internationalisation remodelled: Definition, approaches and rationale. Journal of Studies in International Education, 8, 5-31.
12.
KnightJ. (2013). Education hubs: International, regional and local dimensions of scale and scope. Comparative Education, 49, 374-387.
13.
LeeJ. (2014). Education hubs and talent development: Policymaking and implementation challenges. Higher Education, 68, 807-823.
14.
LiX.RobertsJ.YanY.TanH. (2014). Knowledge sharing in China-UK higher education alliances. International Business Review, 23, 343-355.
15.
LuoY. (2004). Coopetition in international business. Copenhagen, Denmark: Copenhagen Business School Press.
16.
Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development. (2014). How many students study abroad and where do they go?Education at a Glance 2014: Highlights. Paris, France: OECD Publishing. doi:10.1787/eag_highlights-2014-11-en
17.
PearceR. (2001). Multinationals and industrialisation: The bases of “inward investment” policy. International Journal of the Economics of Business, 8, 51-73.
18.
RugmanA. M. (1986). New theories of the multinational enterprise: An assessment of internalization theory. Bulletin of Economic Research, 38, 101-118.
19.
SchlevogtK.-A. (2002). The art of Chinese management: Theory, evidence and applications. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
20.
Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna—Istituto di Management. (2014). L’analisi dell’offerta territoriale della Città di Firenze: “La Città dei Saperi Internazionali.” (The analysis of the territorial offer of the City of Florence: “The City of International Knowledge”). Pisa (rapporto di ricerca).
21.
ShanW.HamiltonW. (1991). Country-specific advantage and international cooperation. Strategic Management Journal, 12, 419-432.
