New publication of Prof. Gaétan de Rassenfosse in Higher Education
© 2015 EPFL
Prof. de Rassenfosse has recently published an article measuring the level of ‘connectivity’ of higher education systems (HES). The Swiss HES is the most connected in the world. It does particularly well on international connectivity, much like other small countries such as Ireland, Singapore and Austria do.
Abstract
With the advent of mass higher education and the consequent absorption of significant national resources, both public and private, it is inevitable that universities are increasingly expected to meet a range of societal needs. They are expected to ‘connect’ with society at large. Prof. de Rassenfosse and his colleague Ross Williams from the University of Melbourne argue that connectivity is best integrated with research, teaching and scholarship and should not be relegated to a ‘third stream’. They compare degrees of connectivity of 50 national systems of higher education using ten indicators, making a distinction between domestic and international connectivity. The strongest finding is that smaller countries exhibit the highest level of international connectivity. The higher education systems in countries with large absolute numbers of researchers such as the USA, China and Japan are relatively self-contained compared with countries such as Ireland, Switzerland and Singapore. Another finding is the relative insularity of the education sector in Eastern Europe, including the Russian Federation. When differences in levels of economic development are allowed for, among lower-income countries South Africa stands out as having a well-connected higher education sector.
Reference:
"Rules of engagement: measuring connectivity in national systems of higher education" by Gaétan de Rassenfosse & Ross Williams, Higher Education, March 2015