Transnational Educational Migration: A Comparative Review of Policy Responses to Internationalisation in Germany and the Netherlands

Institute For Policy Research & Governance / 15/10/2026

Authors : Saba Suhail Khan , Ankita Hansda , Fathima Thamanna PP , Barnali Roy

Abstract

Internationalisation of higher education has become increasingly connected with international student mobility, migration and labour-market policy. This study examines how Germany and the Netherlands responded to these developments. Although both countries operate within a shared European higher education and migration environment, their policy responses have developed in different directions. A similar system design was used to compare these two cases. The analysis draws on a corpus of 37 legislative, parliamentary and policy documents and combines descriptive statistics, text-as-data analysis and critical discourse analysis based on Fairclough’s three-dimensional framework. Policy documents were examined across four broad policy orientations; attraction, management, retention and labour and fourteen related policy instruments. The comparison shows that Germany has developed a comparatively expansive approach to internationalisation. International students are increasingly viewed not only as participants in higher education but also as a potential source of skilled labour in response to demographic change and workforce shortages. The Netherlands has followed a more managed and selective approach. While the academic and economic value of internationalisation continues to be recognised, greater attention has been given to housing pressures, institutional capacity, language and access for domestic students. These differences suggest that the policy divide cannot be reduced to a simple distinction between open and restrictive systems. Instead, national responses reflect different combinations of labour-market needs, demographic pressures, institutional capacity and domestic social priorities. The study highlights the need for internationalisation policies that balance educational openness with sustainable institutional capacity, labour-market needs and broader social considerations.

Keywords:
Transnational Educational Migration, International Student Mobility, Internationalisation of Higher Education, Comparative Policy Analysis, Policy Divergence, Policy Discourse, Germany, The Netherlands.

Articles, International Relations

The Growing Strategic Importance of the Indo-Pacific: Challenges and Opportunities for Asian Countries

Institute For Policy Research & Governance / 15/10/2026

Authors : Subhash Gill , Sneha Gupta

ABSTRACT

The current study examines how the Indo-Pacific architecture is perceived by India and China and how these visions shape economic and diplomatic relations in the region. The study asks how India’s and China’s competing visions of the Indo-Pacific shape their economic and diplomatic engagement with regional actors, particularly ASEAN. The paper argues that Chinese and Indian strategic principles and diplomatic approaches regarding regional dynamics are necessary contexts for understanding the economic and political policies pursued through regional institutional frameworks. It demonstrates that China primarily frames the Indo-Pacific through economic connectivity and regional multipolarity, while India increasingly approaches the region through strategic balancing, maritime security and diversified economic partnerships. Previous research papers in the field mostly examined these dynamics from a one-country perspective, treating economic and political dimensions mostly separately; however, this paper aims to provide a comparative understanding of two visions represented by Indo-Pacific dominant players based on their official statements and bilateral and multilateral initiatives. This methodological approach facilitates the understanding of recent institutional crises in renewed India-China dialogues and possible diplomatic resolutions based on analysis of key state principles pursued by both sides to achieve stable maritime security and economic cooperation.

KEYWORDS:
Indo-Pacific, maritime security, economic cooperation, India, China, ASEAN

Articles, Environment & Climate Change

Addressing the Interconnected Impacts of Climate Change on Vulnerable Communities through Integrated Policy Interventions and Emerging Technologies for Equitable Climate Adaptation

Institute For Policy Research & Governance / 15/10/2026

Authors : Rijjul Madaan , Danusri J , Saanvi Srivastava , Ochia Mathew Chidike , Richik Ghosal , Ritvik Sharma

ABSTRACT

Climate change is reshaping where and how vulnerable communities are able to live, while unequal access to mobility, energy and adaptive resources shapes their capacity to respond. This paper thus attempts to ask; what are the interconnected impacts of climate change on vulnerable communities, and how can integrated policy interventions leverage emerging technologies to advance equitable climate adoption? It draws on a collaborative section based qualitative analysis of government, UN, and academic secondary sources, and examines climate-induced migration through Sundar Sarukkai’s framework of lived experience freedoms; to be a part of, to leave, and to modify an environment. This exhibits how caste, gender,and household wealth can shape who is able to migrate, who is left behind as a “trapped population”, and who benefits from remittance- funded adaptation. It then traces how the same structural inequality shapes energy insecurity in India, and by means of a comparative case study, in Nigeria, where climate driven mobility redistributes rather than resolves energy demand. The paper thus evaluates the capacity of emerging technologies; GIS, remote sensing, digital twins, and artificial intelligence, to move adaptation planning across tangents from being reactive in nature to anticipatory in practice. It however also acknowledges that technological maturity is consistently outpaced by institutional and data constraints, and AI governance introduces its own risks around bias, privacy, and accountability that must be managed alongside its benefits. Synthesising these findings, the paper proposes an integrated policy framework of five interdependent pillars; vulnerability mapping, mobility planning, climate energy planning, anticipatory technology governance, and equitable AI governance. These, put together, argue that equitable adaptation depends less on developing new technology than on embedding it within functioning, accountable and public centred institutions.

Keywords:
Climate-induced migration; Energy insecurity; Emerging technologies; AI governance; Climate adaptation policy; Vulnerable communities; India–Nigeria comparative analysis

Articles, International Relations

Crowdsourced Intelligence vs. AI Propaganda: The Challenges of Global Governance in the Age of Digital Warfare

Institute For Policy Research & Governance / 15/10/2026

Authors : Pragati Khanna , Harsh Dixit , Jannet Emma Tonateni Fransisco , Varsha Dhio Dora , Trisha Dev

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence has fundamentally changed the modern digital operation, whereby creating a constant struggle between what is perceived to be true and the human reality. This study uses a qualitative, exploratory-descriptive study using secondary data from academic journals, policy documents and institutional reports to examine the interaction between crowdsourced Open-Sourced Intelligence (OSINT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) driven propaganda in modern warfare, alongside the global governance challenges that arise from their interaction. Findings reveal that there is a serious tension within the digital information ecosystem: whilst generative Artificial Intelligence promotes public opinions to spread disinformation and misinformation that is persuasive and may manipulate political processes, crowdsourced intelligence offers real-time verification and transparency. There are Regulatory Frameworks such as the European Union’s AI Act and Digital Services Act that serve as blueprints to counter AI-driven manipulation from technical solutions to the adoption of human-centered governance models. Ultimately, the study demonstrates that it is important to maintain digital information integrity by balancing computational tools with collaborative human verification to foster resilience against any revolving threats in digital security and global governance.

Keywords :
Artificial Intelligence, Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT), Crowdsourced Verification, AI-Driven Propaganda, Digital Warfare, Global Governance, Disinformation, Epistemic Sovereignty.

October 15, 2026