Boundary organizations in transnational academic labor markets
Managerial insights from EURAXESS China and the Galileo Galilei Italian Institute
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63029/d07xmq75Keywords:
Boundary organizations, academic mobility, EU–China cooperation, transnational academic labor markets, research diplomacy, higher education internationalization, career systemsAbstract
Boundary organizations such as EURAXESS China and the Galileo Galilei Italian Institute play a pivotal role in sustaining EU–China academic cooperation amid growing political sensitivity, funding uncertainty, and research-security concerns. Drawing on boundary-organization theory, this managerial insight compares the two intermediaries as “boots-on-the-ground” infrastructures that translate policy priorities into workable institutional routines and individual career opportunities. Using document-based and secondary evidence, the article shows how both organizations maintain dual accountability to funders and mobile researchers, deploy boundary objects, and build bilingual translation capacity and credible neutrality. Cross-case synthesis yields five design principles for managers: anchor legitimacy while preserving flexibility, manage a portfolio of boundary objects, invest in translation as capability, ensure visible neutrality, and treat boundary-spanning roles as strategic talent.
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