This article aims to examine the impact of neoliberal policies on universities, focusing particularly on the concepts of academic capitalism and academic autonomy, and to conduct a comprehensive discussion to understand how scientific knowledge production has been affected by this process. Since the Bologna Process, universities have adopted a…

This paper analyses the EU's approach to international research cooperation between 2012-2022 drawing on critical geopolitical perspectives and the spatial politics of (re)bordering. It identifies two periods which represent the EU's shifting approaches to international research cooperation from the pursuit of a liberal agenda promoting…

The intellectual potential of a nation is a critical determinant of its human resource capabilities, with higher education serving as the foundation for cultivating such potential. Traditionally regarded as a public service, higher education has evolved in recent decades to incorporate diverse models that blend public and private sector roles.…

Despite the current interest in Open Science in the scientific community, it is not clear if Open Science will succeed in higher education. Open Science is based on three basic ideas: open data, open results, and open publication. If these principles can be successfully implemented, it will allow for much greater participation in the scientific…

The United States university sector's research enterprise is highly competitive and highly innovative in ordinary times, and during the past year plagued by coronavirus it pivoted quickly to conduct urgently needed research on a new threat. At the high level, the pandemic may seem not to have done lasting damage but this view, while accurate, may…

How far has sustainable development that has dominated the agendas of politicians, academics, and world organizations for the past four decades gone? Do politicians, academics, and organizations have to look elsewhere for solutions? This article attempts to answer the second question: There may be solutions other than politics and the academy to…

The multi-billion-dollar university rankings industry purports to offer insights into the quality of institutions, but the extent to which it does so has consistently been refuted. Critics argue that problematic proxies, composite indexing, homogenising effects, and several other issues make them both unscientific and neo-colonial. This article…

Higher Education (HE) constitutes a space that calls urgently for new understandings in the contemporary political moment. One way of establishing such an understanding of HE is to consider more fully the work of political theorists in relation to questions of power in the modern nation-state, particularly as these impinge upon the key problem of…

While a number of recent studies highlight John Stuart Mill's role as a "teacher of the people," his reflections upon the political significance of higher education have received relatively little attention. I argue that Mill's 1867 St. Andrews Address was both a defense of liberal education against influential arguments for religion-…

Teaching students to use critical thinking skills is a popular goal of many economics courses. But what does "critical thinking" really mean, and how is it implemented? This article considers various interpretations of "critical thinking" and distinguishes "big-think" from "little-think" critical thinking,…

Today, the term 'global' has become a pervasive description of universities that aim to alleviate their importance and reach. The global looks inherently big. By relating to a spherical shape it attributes size in two distinct ways: it signifies the comprehensive and extensive reach of a theme or issue as well as the spherical centrality of an…

This report targets decision-makers and influencers within education systems who contribute to policy-making at European, Member State or local level, and who stimulate and facilitate the development and uptake of new educational content and resources. According to the latest EU statistics 9.39 million animals were used in research and testing in…

The paper examines the STEM approach as one of the revolutionary tools for transforming education. This paper discloses the content of the concept of "STEAM-education", substantiates its importance and prerequisites for its appearance. The author elucidates a comparative analytical review of trends and prospects for the development of…

This article reports on the performance of the research funding system of 61 Japanese national universities, specifically the Japanese Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (GASR) system. The competitive Japanese research funding system is quantitatively investigated and measured, focusing on the GASR fund and its relationship with the Japanese…

The U.S. R&D enterprise relies on businesses, federal and nonfederal governments, higher education institutions, and other nonprofit organizations. This report identifies trends in R&D performance and funding and compares them to those of the world's other major economies. The U.S. annual total of R&D has expanded steadily since 2010…