Abstract

PERRY, Beth  and  MAY, Tim. Excellence, relevance and the university: the missing middle in socio-economic engagement. Sociologia, Problemas e Práticas [online]. 2008, n.56, pp.105-128. ISSN 0873-6529.

The international political economy for higher education is marked by an increasing globalization and regionalization of activities. In this context, an emphasis on the roles of universities as engines of economic growth and sub-national economic and social development can be seen. However, the decontextualised nature of dominant neo-liberal global pressures gives rise to particular sets of issues for universities and a “missing middle” between contexts of knowledge production and application. This article explores these issues in comparative context, drawing on empirical work undertaken on regional science policies in Europe. It is structured in three sections. First, it examines the global pressures that are leading to a rethinking and rescaling of science. Second, it analyses changing discourses around excellence, relevance and context and in so doing identifies a convergence in models of national science policy. Third, it examines the implications for the global university order, including issues of stratification and diversification and a resulting tension that emerges between the expectations of higher education and their capacities to deliver. It is this missing middle that needs consideration if expectations and capacity are to be more realistically matched for greater benefit.

Keywords : higher education; missing middle; globalization; economic and social development.

        · abstract in Portuguese | French | Spanish     · text in Portuguese     · Portuguese ( pdf )