Territorial Context and Spatial Interactions: A Case Study on the Erasmus K1 Mobility Datasets

Alexandru Rusu, Octavian Groza, Nicolae Popa and Anita Denisa Caizer ()
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Alexandru Rusu: Department of Geography, Faculty of Geography and Geology, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, 700505 Iasi, Romania
Octavian Groza: Department of Geography, Faculty of Geography and Geology, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, 700505 Iasi, Romania
Nicolae Popa: Department of Geography, Faculty of Chemistry, Biology and Geography, West University of Timisoara, 8300223 Timisoara, Romania
Anita Denisa Caizer: Institute for Advanced Environmental Research, West University of Timisoara, 300223 Timisoara, Romania

Geographies, 2025, vol. 5, issue 4, 1-19

Abstract: This study evaluates the impact of different territorial contexts on academic mobility within the framework of the Erasmus Programme, using data on Key Action 1 exchanges between 2015 and 2023. Using official EU datasets and a gravity model framework, the research investigates how economic performance, geographical distance, EU membership, AUF (Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie) regional affiliation, and state contiguity shape international academic flows. The research developed two gravity models: one aimed to measure the potential barriers to academic flows through a residuals analysis, and the second integrated territorial delineations as predictors. In both models, the core of the explanatory variable is formed by indicators describing the economic performance of states and the distance between countries. When applied, the models converge in emphasizing that the inclusion of states in different territorial configurations has a strong effect on the structuring of academic flows. This suggests that the Erasmus Programme exhibits trends of overconcentration of flows in a limited number of countries, questioning the need for a more polycentric strategy and a reshaping of the funding mechanisms. Even if the gravity models behave well, given the limited number of predictors, further studies may need to incorporate qualitative indicators for a more comprehensive evaluation of the interactions.

Keywords: territorial context; Erasmus flows; Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie; gravity models; barrier effect; academic spatial interaction (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q15 Q5 Q53 Q54 Q56 Q57 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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