Higher education in Asian countries and the role of international ...

1 Presentation of the research
1.1 Rational
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The culture of international organizations (IOs) is on the rise in all parts of the world. For the last
few decades IOs have become a prominent element of international politics and development and
have demonstrated an increased influence and ability to shape global public policy (The World
Bank, 2010). With the passage of time this factor is intensifying and it is evident from the rapid
growth and enhanced presence of both intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) and
nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) at regional and global levels. According to the
Yearbook of International Organizations, the number of international organization (IOs) has
increased from 6,000 in 1990 to more than 64,000 in 2010 (UIA, 2010). And according to the
OECD estimates, since 2006, these organizations were provided more than US$15 billion in
international assistance. These figures speak the significance of their role in global development
assistance around the world. So the study of international organization, like the practice of
international governance, is becoming more energized and more sophisticated based on scientific
sense of enquiry (Thompson & Snidal, 2000)
Likewise the population of IGOs grew from 23 to 3000 during 20 th century (UIA, 2010). Some
of these IGOs are engaged in the field of education. IGOs working for education are
channelizing huge size of capital and human resources with the aim to develop and promote
education at all levels, in all regions and for all. At present in the field of higher education only
there are hundreds of programs and projects that have been launched by IGOs both in the less
and high developed countries around the world. Though many of these organizations conduct
self or internal studies to gauge the impact or outcomes of their programs or projects, it is very
rare that any comparative study is conducted to see a global picture of the IGOs role in the
development of higher education particularly in Asia.
1.2 Setting the stage for research
Intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) have become an important part of this globalized
society and activities of these supra-national bodies are affecting all aspects of life that ranges
from atomic weapons proliferation to basic human rights and from international trade to