The Future of Differentiation in European Governance: Brexit and the European Knowledge Policies

The impact of Brexit on higher education is still largely unknown. But it may significantly alter the European governance of higher education sector, impacting the relations built with UK and other EU countries under the framework of the European Research Area and the European Higher Education Area. Assuming that the agreement between UK and the EU might configure features of differentiated integration, this paper aims at discussing the consequences of differentiated integration patterns and reflect whether the integration process in the knowledge policy area is at risk. Actually, the European governance system appears to be challenged by the relevance of national priorities and policies into detriment of European goals. The analysis draws on discursive institutionalism to understand the role of ideas and discourses in driving both UK strategies focusing, for instance, on new collaborations with major global players in higher education and research and European (or national) strategies aiming at (re)positioning national higher education systems and institutions. By looking at policy documents from European level and national level institutions the goal is to explore the role of ideas and discourses in structuring policy drivers and practices in knowledge policies.