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In Ireland, policies destined to create a reconfigured binary higher education system are evolving; in the coming years institutes of technology may be redesignated as "technological universities" following a process of voluntary amalgamations and independent reviews against stringent criteria. This overhaul of the sector would satisfy institutions' ambitions to have their status upgraded, and would underpin national policy to address fragmentation and sustainability issues. Drawing on international literature on mergers in higher education, this paper proposes a distinction between push and pull factors as the drivers for exploration and decision making. These two categories of drivers are reviewed in the context of Irish policy development and are applied to an example of a merger that was effected after the publication of the new National Strategy for Higher Education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complex effects of the global financial crisis (GFC) have affected countries differently. The concept of stimulus packages to enable economies to withstand its full effects was widespread, as were decisions by several countries to invest in higher education as a means of stimulating the economy while placing workforce development and research on a firmer footing. While the GFC increased awareness of the need to invest in the knowledge economy, governments adopted approaches reflecting their different fundamental priorities. Arguably Ireland was left with little leeway, whereas Australia's far better economic position might have provided an opportunity to invest in higher education through its stimulus packages. This paper examines the policy choices that Australian and Irish governments made both before, and in response to, the GFC to assess how these decisions have prepared higher education for the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]