Co-creation of the European Universities Initiative (EUI): the role of higher education associations

In this study, we explore the development of the European Universities Initiative (EUI), with a particular focus on the role of national and transnational associations of higher education institutions (HE associations). Our theoretical approach relies on insights from interest groups studies concerning the importance of organizational characteristics in lobbying processes. The study sheds lights on how the European Commission organise the co-creation process, how much access to the decision-makers did various HE associations have, and what kind of lobbying strategies they employed. This provides the backdrop for exploring the relationship between (a) access and strategies, (b) organizational characteristics of HE associations and (c) the characteristics of the EUI as such. The associations that are in focus of this study vary in terms of breadth of membership and breadth of policy agenda (from very narrow to rather encompassing), and geographical scope (national, region, European-wide). Our empirical material comprises (1) semi-structured interviews with European Commission officials and representatives of higher education associations and (2) European Commission documents and associations’ position papers. This provides us with a novel and rich empirical basis, suitable for analysing the role of organized interest in shaping an EU-level initiative of significant strategic importance.