Abstract
Despite considerable efforts to increase the quality of Higher Education (HE) in many countries, the absence of a methodology to guide scholars and policymakers to assess its quality has been a barrier. In 2017, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and Mohamad bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF) launched the Global Knowledge Index (GKI), a tool by which data from 131 countries were collected for seven sectors—one of which was HE. In this paper, an analysis of the HE index data is introduced. Then, three key issues which emerged from data are discussed. The first issue is HE efficiency, which is measured by comparing the indexes of HE inputs and outputs. The second issue is the enabling environment factors that might support or limit the growth of HE. The third issue is the intricate relationship between HE, economy, and Research and Development (R&D). The study found that HE efficiency is declining globally except in a few areas. A strong positive relationship was found between the enabling environment and variables of political stability and government effectiveness and HE’s ability of knowledge production. Furthermore, strong relationships were found between HE outputs, economy, and R&D respectively. The study concludes with future directions for increasing the quality of HE.
Highlights
There is no doubt that higher education (HE) has become an increasingly important sector for most countries, and assessing its quality has become a necessity
In 2017, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and Mohamad bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF) launched the Global Knowledge Index (GKI), a tool by which data from 131 countries were collected for seven sectors—one of which was Higher Education (HE)
The 2017 Global Knowledge Index (GKI) (UNDP & MBRF, 2017), which is a collaboration between the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Mohamad bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF), has made it easy for countries to assess the quality of their HE as this Index provides data for 131 countries
Summary
There is no doubt that higher education (HE) has become an increasingly important sector for most countries, and assessing its quality has become a necessity. Policymakers are advised to think about this sector in connection with the environment as it can play a key role in either supporting or deterring HE from thriving. Using such a perspective, this study attempts to explore three issues: 1) Efficiency of HE, 2) The environment as an incubator of HE, 3) The extent to which HE, Economy, and Research and Development (R&D) are intertwined and connected. The following section briefly introduces theoretical background to these three issues
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