Higher Education and Convention Theory

In this chapter, the economics and sociology of conventions (EC/SC) approach is explored by reviewing EC/SC-oriented higher education research literature published in recent decades. Higher education research covers interdisciplinary and practical-oriented traditions that include a wide range of approaches to teaching and learning, institutional management and administration, societal responsibility of higher education, and knowledge transfer across national borders. These themes are typically embedded in national higher education policy and wider societal development. The aim of this chapter is twofold: to present an approachable description of current EC/SC applications in higher education studies and to explore the possibilities that EC/SC could provide in this field of studies. Based on the review, EC/SC provides a pragmatic-oriented and critically framed approach to considering quality, academic work, equity, justice, legitimation, and institutional management in the higher education context. Moreover, multisided approaches of EC/SC can be further utilized in higher education research by considering plural (various) underlying principles, justifications, the interplay between agency and institution, and (institutional) resilience during uncertain times, as well as identifying environmental values in the field.