This paper presents the keynote speech by Professor Steve Smith, President of Universities UK, delivered at Universities UK Annual Conference last September 2010. In this speech, Professor Smith focused on two sets of issues: firstly, the future of the UK economy and, secondly, the potential pitfalls of the decisions that are shortly to be made by…

The contributors to this document compare the main approaches to agricultural extension in sub-Saharan Africa; the cost-effectiveness in view of precarious national budgets; the weaknesses of the system for generating technology; the difficulties in forging productive partnerships between researchers, extensionists and farmers; the ineffective…

This paper provides an overview of research policy considerations and conceptual analyses for the South for three economic development issues: the relationships of Southern agriculture to rural areas and communities; trends and adjustments underway and having an impact on economic development in the region; and the directions economic development…

Research that occurs in universities under conditions of patronage is distinguished from research that occurs under less distorted market conditions. It is claimed that academic research is shifting from an area of patronage consumption to one of economic development investment. In addition to considering the markets for academic research and…

Reasons for increased interest in higher education-economic development relationships are reviewed and the nature of the guidance that policy analysts may be able to provide decisionmakers is outlined. Attention is directed to the merits and drawbacks of six possible approaches to increasing higher education's contributions to economic development…

Following decades of expansion in higher education, policy attention in OECD countries has begun to focus on the outcomes of higher education including how universities and other higher education institutions contribute to regional development. With the processes of globalisation and localisation, the local availability of knowledge and skills and…

Urban universities have a definite role to play within the context of strategic economic development. Coordination between state and local government, the private sector, and the academic community can lead to effective partnerships to formulate and implement economic development plans. Declining university enrollments and fewer dollars available…

In Malaysia, the government is supporting the diffusion of the Internet and is spearheading a project to bring Malaysia into the information age, by helping to design a smart city called the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC). The MSC is being planned as a high-technology center where world-class multimedia companies can develop state-of-the-art…

This paper discusses the multiple rewards of teaching information systems (IS) abroad, drawing on the experience of an IS professor who has been awarded three Fulbright scholarships in the 1990s. The author draws extensively upon personal experiences in Russia to illustrate the challenges and benefits of teaching in foreign institutions. The…

One of the challenges facing Malaysia amidst its economic development is the achievement of a critical thinking society. This would enhance and guarantee the success of research and development programs in addition to having other socioeconomic effects. This paper covers the following topics: Vision 2020, Malaysia's goal to reach developed nation…

Georgia's two-year technical institutes have played a prominant role in linking education with industry. Five major interrelated efforts have worked to transform the state from an agrarian economy to one utilizing advanced technologies. The first of these, the Quick-Start Program, offers state-paid services, such as consultation, employee…