Fourniture transnationale de services d'enseignement supérieur en Amérique latine. Une première approche de ce phénomène

More than a decade after members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) signed the Doha Declaration, what is the situation of transnational higher education providers? In Latin America, they have been hindered by language issues when they were English-speakers, and by strict governmental norms in terms of quality assurance and accreditation, in accordance with the recommendations of international organizations, such as UNESCO. However, transnational for-profit industries have been investing more heavily in higher education, especially in Brazil, Mexico and Chile. Based on a literature review of such industries (which is scarce) and on information gathered regarding foreign direct investment on the Internet (which is scattered), the paper outlines the situation in the region. It is characterized by an increasing influx of foreign capital and by the emergence of Latin-American higher education providers from and for the periphery: some universities and companies have relocated in order to capitalize on the advantages linked to their cultural and linguistic ties with their neighbors, whether they are for-profit or not-for-profit. Based on these few facts, the paper considers some future avenues for research.