State, regions and universities in academic mobility

Abstract

The objective of this article is deepening the understanding on the factors associated to universities’ potential for attracting academic talent. To do so, it analyses the staff of Spanish public universities in regards to a set of indicators on academic mobility. The results of this exploratory study show: (1) the significant influence of the State normative frameworks on universities’ capacity to attract non-local academics, even in a decentralized State, where powers relating to higher education have been transferred to regional governments; (2) the positive relationship between size and age of regional higher education systems and their tendency to localism, in absence of a structure of incentives for mobility; and (3) the importance of universities’ strategic behavior on the outcomes of their hiring processes.