Engines without fuel? – Empirical findings on Finnish higher education institutions as education exporters

In 2010, the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture formulated Finland’s first education export strategy. This policy document attributed Finnish Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) a significant role in the emerging sector by declaring them as ‘engines’ of education export. Situated in a phenomenological approach towards policymaking, this paper empirically investigates how HEIs perceive their role as education exporters. A case study is presented in order to give voice to those who are supposed to implement the education export strategy. The data was gathered from HEIs’ international offices across Finland and analysed by means of content analysis. The findings indicate a gap between vision and reality and thus challenge the existing policy discourse.