What Can Be Learned from Small (and Micro) States? ‘Educational Geostrategic Leveraging’ and the Mechanisms of the Fourth Industrial Revolution – the Internet of Things and Disruptive Innovation

Abstract

This paper explores how certain global mechanisms of the so-called fourth industrial revolution – the internet of things and disruptive innovation – impact the educational governance activities, social forms of coordination, and scales in small (and micro) states. We advance that there are certain ‘behavioral characteristics’ that small (and micro) states possess that can teach us about dealing with some of the current global challenges. We suggest to move away from seeing small (and micro) states as being exclusively vulnerable and, rather, to re-conceptualize smallness as a potential strength. In line with this argument, we argue that the geometries of vulnerability are giving rise to what we call educational geostrategic leveraging, i.e. the use of soft power grounded in strategic-level bargain and cooperation at the national level to achieve regional consensus. It is in this context that we suggest that educational geostrategic leveraging is emerging as a component of collaboration and cooperation at the regional and other levels