This article analyses the network of international student mobility between OECD and European Higher Education Area (EHEA) member countries between 2000 and 2009. It aims to investigate the link between countries’ levels of democracy and how this impacts on their ability to attract degree‐mobile students from abroad. Social network analysis and exponential random graph modelling are used to show that the ties of student mobility occur more often when both countries in the dyad have either low or high levels of democracy and when the receiving country is also economically wealthy. The network is characterised by a core–periphery structure where a few countries act as hubs with numerous strong ties. The overall results lend support to homophily assumptions about the network of internationally mobile students and show a considerable confounding of effects of democratisation and economic prosperity on international student mobility.

中文翻译：

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寻找自由？国际学生流动性和国家民主水平的网络

本文分析了2000年至2009年间经合组织与欧洲高等教育区（EHEA）成员国之间的国际学生流动网络。该研究旨在调查各国民主水平之间的联系以及这对他们吸引学位流动能力的影响来自国外的学生。社交网络分析和指数随机图模型用于显示，当双子国家中的两个国家的民主水平较低或较高，并且接受国的经济状况也很丰富时，学生流动性的联系就会更频繁地出现。该网络的特点是核心-外围结构，其中一些国家充当具有众多牢固联系的枢纽。