COMPARATIVE STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT OF EDUCATION EXPORT: A STUDY OF HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS IN UZBEKISTAN AND LATVIA

Abstract

Education export — the strategic positioning of a higher education institution (HEI) toward foreign students, international partners, and cross-border funding — requires a distinct management approach from purely domestic operation. This article compares the strategic management of education export at universities in Uzbekistan and Latvia, as representative cases of an emerging-market and an EU-integrated higher-education system respectively. Drawing on the broader national policy environments and institutional practices characteristic of each system, the article develops a comparative framework across four strategic-management dimensions: goal-setting and policy alignment, resource mobilization, quality assurance, and operational mobility. The analysis finds that the two systems diverge less in strategic intent than in the maturity of specific management mechanisms, particularly mobility administration and decentralized partnership initiative. The article proposes a transferable strategic-management model for HEIs pursuing education export under evolving national reform conditions.