Abstract
In the closing chapter of the book, we bring together insights from the preceding discussion and consider the present state of Erasmus and its future prospects. In doing so, we reiterate the idea that Erasmus is, fundamentally, a pedagogical tool for the learning of mobility and building mobility capacity among European youth. While there is potential for Erasmus to contribute to innovation and economic development in the European Union, there are few signs that this is actually taking place. What is clearer is that the programme faces many challenges and needs to adapt to changing circumstances, with much of Europe appearing to be more concerned with introducing new borders rather than overcoming existing barriers to circulation.
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Notes
- 1.
Strongly related to free movement in the EU is the establishment of the Schengen zone , which includes 22 EU countries plus Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Liechtenstein (European Parliament 2017). The UK and the Republic of Ireland are not part of Schengen, having their own Common Travel Agreement.
- 2.
This is similar to what social capital theorists sometimes refer to as the strength of ‘strong’ or ‘weak’ ties (e.g. Granovetter 1973).
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Cairns, D., Krzaklewska, E., Cuzzocrea, V., Allaste, AA. (2018). Conclusions: A Changing Erasmus. In: Mobility, Education and Employability in the European Union. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-76926-4_9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-76926-4_9
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