Higher education institutions’ territorial embeddedness and regional reputation and ecosystem: a study of French wine programs

Despite the globalization of the higher education (HE) sector, higher education institutions (HEIs) maintain strong ties with their regions, and their territorial embeddedness continues to be a key strategic issue. The aim of our study is to explore how the reputation and ecosystem of a region's specialization influence HE programs related to this expertise and how these factors can benefit their associated HEIs. We draw on the HE glonacal heuristic, which analyzes interactions across HE global, national, and local scales, and the concept of the HE geo-cognitive scale, which refers to geographical spaces shaped by scope and proximity, as analytical frameworks. Our focus is on French wine regions, French wine programs, and their corresponding HEIs. This research, which employs a mixed-methods approach combining both quantitative and qualitative methodologies, highlights the reputation and ecosystem characteristics of wine regions and their impact on wine programs' performance and pedagogy. Additionally, it explores the elements of wine regions' reputation, ecosystem, and programs at stake in HEIs' positioning. By demonstrating how these elements can help HEIs strengthen their territorial embeddedness and enhance their strategies in the global HE environment, our work emphasizes the importance of the HE geo-cognitive scales shaped by regional economic specialization such as the wine sector.