The Challenge of Establishing World-Class Research Universities in Emerging Economies

摘要

Governments in emerging economies are becoming increasingly aware of the important contribution that high performance research universities make to global competitiveness and economic growth. There is growing recognition of the need to establish one or more world-class research universities that can compete effectively with the best of the best around the world. Contextualizing the drive for world-class higher education institutions and the power of international and domestic university rankings, this article outlines possiblestrategies and pathways for establishing globally competitive research universities in emerging economies and explores the challenges, costs, and risks involved. The article starts by proposing an operational definition of a world-class research university. It then explores three strategic approaches for establishing a world-class research university and reviews the role of university leaders in this context. It concludes by outlining some of the specific challenges faced by emerging economies.