The Road to Academic Excellence :The Making of World-Class Research Universities

Altbach, Philip G. ; Salmi, Jamil

World Bank

关键词: ABILITY TO PAY;    ACCESS TO HEALTH SERVICES;    ACCESS TO SERVICES;    ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS;    AGING;   

DOI  :  10.1596/978-0-8213-8805-1
RP-ID  :  64668

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

For middle-income and developingcountries as well as some industrial nations a majorchallenge for building and sustaining successful researchuniversities is determining the mechanisms that allow thoseuniversities to participate effectively in the globalknowledge network on an equal basis with the top academicinstitutions in the world. These research universitiesprovide advanced education for the academic profession,policy makers, and public and private sector professionalsinvolved in the complex, globalized economies of the 21stcentury. In addition to their contribution to economicdevelopment, these universities play a key societal role byserving as cultural institutions, centers for socialcommentary and criticism, and intellectual hubs. Thepositive contribution of tertiary education is increasinglyrecognized as not limited to middle-income and advancedcountries, because it applies equally to low-incomeeconomies. Tertiary education can help these countries tobecome more globally competitive by developing a skilled,productive, and flexible labor force and by creating,applying, and spreading new ideas and technologies. A recentstudy on how to accelerate economic growth in Sub-SaharanAfrica spells out the crucial contribution of tertiaryeducation in supporting this endeavor (World Bank 2008). Itobserves that the key for success in a globalized worldincreasingly lies in how effectively a country canassimilate available knowledge and build comparativeadvantages in areas with higher growth prospects and how itcan use technology to address the most pressingenvironmental challenges. The main chapters of this book arenine case studies that illustrate what it takes to establishand sustain research universities and help validate theanalytical model outlined above, including the paths tobuilding research excellence.