Globalization, Regional Organizations, and the Facets of Higher Education: Taiwan`s Perspectives

Abstract

The aim of the study is to examine the influence of the formation and operation of different regional organizations on the higher education within the region. Based on the regulations or agreements of the matured regional organizations, such as EU, NAFTA, FTAA, and ASEAN +3, the study analyzes the influence of the formation of the organizations on their respective regions, the involvement of the nations in the organizations, the relevant education policies adopted by the organizations, with an extension to the higher educational issues focused by the organizations. The international cooperation within the aforementioned organizations is mostly focused on economic activities; however, the training of high quality manpower, which is closely tied to the economic development, has gradually become one of the key discussions for the new agreements between the organizations in the 21st century. Therefore the study compares the educational systems in the process of global and regional alliances to explain how higher education is influenced by these developmental trends, as well as the relationships among the various factors and the implications for Taiwan.