UK Higher Education Sector's Response to the War in Ukraine

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Bibliographic Details
Title: UK Higher Education Sector's Response to the War in Ukraine
Language: English
Authors: Iryna Kushnir (ORCID 0000-0003-0727-7208), Zara Milani, Marcellus Forh Mbah (ORCID 0000-0002-4199-0819)
Source: Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education. 2025 17(1):190-204.
Availability: Emerald Publishing Limited. Howard House, Wagon Lane, Bingley, West Yorkshire, BD16 1WA, UK. Tel: +44-1274-777700; Fax: +44-1274-785201; e-mail: emerald@emeraldinsight.com; Web site: http://www.emerald.com/insight
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 15
Publication Date: 2025
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Descriptors: War, Altruism, International Cooperation, Higher Education, Marketing, Foreign Countries, Universities, Organizational Communication, Political Attitudes, Neoliberalism
Geographic Terms: United Kingdom, Ukraine
DOI: 10.1108/JARHE-08-2023-0384
ISSN: 2050-7003
1758-1184
Abstract: Purpose: This article aims to address the response from the higher education (HE) sector in the United Kingdom (UK) to the full-scale war in Ukraine which started in 2022. Design/methodology/approach: Relying on theoretical ideas of neoliberalism and the collection and thematic analysis of relevant official communications from six UK universities, the article uncovers three major ways in which these universities have been responding to the war. Findings: They include (1) altruistic responses, (2) the promotion of equal treatment of all people and (3) the condemnation of the invasion and its implications for UK's international cooperation in HE. These responses suggest the strengthening of the liberal ideals in the UK HE sector, heavily dominated by marketisation. Originality/value: This analysis is significant not only for advancing a very limited scholarship on the topic of HE in the context of this war but also for understanding the development of the neoliberal landscape of UK HE and neoliberalism as a phenomenon in times of crises.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2025
Accession Number: EJ1457704
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:Purpose: This article aims to address the response from the higher education (HE) sector in the United Kingdom (UK) to the full-scale war in Ukraine which started in 2022. Design/methodology/approach: Relying on theoretical ideas of neoliberalism and the collection and thematic analysis of relevant official communications from six UK universities, the article uncovers three major ways in which these universities have been responding to the war. Findings: They include (1) altruistic responses, (2) the promotion of equal treatment of all people and (3) the condemnation of the invasion and its implications for UK's international cooperation in HE. These responses suggest the strengthening of the liberal ideals in the UK HE sector, heavily dominated by marketisation. Originality/value: This analysis is significant not only for advancing a very limited scholarship on the topic of HE in the context of this war but also for understanding the development of the neoliberal landscape of UK HE and neoliberalism as a phenomenon in times of crises.
ISSN:2050-7003
1758-1184
DOI:10.1108/JARHE-08-2023-0384