The Social and Economic Security of Students Project (2005-2007)

The social and economic security of students in the cross-border education market (2005-2007)
ARC Discovery Grant project
Simon Marginson (University of Melbourne) with Chris Nyland (first named researcher) & Gaby Ramia (Monash University), Mike Gallagher (ANU)
Project Research Fellows: Erlenawati Sawir (University of Melbourne), Sharon Smith (Monash University)
PhD student: Helen Forbes-Mewett (Monash University)

Project summary:
The global education market is fast growing, volatile and strategically significant for Australia. It imposes social and economic risks on international students. Work on student choice suggests social and economic security is a key driver of decisions to enrol in Australia. But security, partly devolved to universities and informal networks, is under-theorised and there has been little empirical research. Noting international students have human, consumer and employee rights, we 1) analyse security issues affecting prospective students and actual students; 2) explain the division of security responsibilities among governments, market agents, civil society and families and 3) explore university and government management of security.

Project aims:
The original objectives of the study were to analyse the role of social and economic security issues in student choice; to examine the experiences of international students in Australia in relation to social and economic security; and to identify and analyse the major features of the security regime in Australia. A comparative analysis with New Zealand was another objective, because New Zealand provides a more effective regulatory model of pastoral care for international students. The study also sought to compare security provision by agents motivated primarily by profit, and those contributing student security as a free service or at less than full market price. As globalisation is refracted differently in national settings there is diversity in the national origins of students, and home country security regimes, as well as age, sex and level and field of study. The central questions of the study were: (1) What social and economic security factors, that affect students and their families in relation to studying and living in Australia, are important in making choices about international education? (2) What are international students’ lived experiences of social and economic security; and what do they, and other relevant agents, do in situations of crisis? (3) How is the provision of social and economic security divided amongst governments and state agencies, market actors, civil society, and families? What governance principles inform this? (4) What organisational strategies and resources have (a) governments, and (b) universities put in place to provide for the security needs of their international students; and what weighting is given to market, pedagogical and humanist values when providing for student security?

Articles published:
Deumert, A., Marginson, S., Nyland, C., Ramia, G. and Sawir, E. (2005) Global migration and social protection rights: the social and economic security of cross-border students in Australia, Global Social Policy, 5 (3), pp. 329-352. [published in early 2006]
   
Sawir, E., Marginson, S., Deumert, A., Nyland, C. & Ramia, G., (2007, in press) Loneliness and international students: an Australian study, Journal of Studies in International Education.

Submitted:
Forbes-Mewett, H., Chung, M., Marginson, S., Nyland, C., Ramia, G., & Sawir, E., (submitted) Income security of international students in Australia, Higher Education.

Ramia, G., Deumert, A., Marginson, S., Nyland, C. & Sawir, E. (submitted) International business and cross-border education: the Janus face of globalisation? International Business Review.
Forbes-Mewett, H. and Chris Nyland (submitted), International student security: the case of Monash University’, Journal of Studies in International Education, submitted.

Award:
‘Best paper’ at the International Student Advisors Network of Australia conference:
Forbes-Mewett, H., Chung, M., Marginson, S., Nyland, C., Ramia, G., & Sawir, E., Income security of international students in Australia