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Outsiders or Leaders? The Role of Higher Education Institutions in the Development of Peripheral Regions

Higher Education Policy volume 30, pages 463–479 (2017)Cite this article

Policy makers’ interest in higher education institutions (HEIs) as instruments for regional development has increased in recent years, but evidence on the role of HEIs in peripheral regions remains unclear. In this article, we focus on the actual practices of HEIs in such regions. Specifically, we combine theories on the roles of HEIs and regional leadership in a case study of four HEIs (two in the Czech Republic and two in Norway) and their engagement in the development of their host regions. Our analysis shows that the HEIs engage in their host regions through their primary mission of teaching.

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Acknowledgements

This research has received funding from the Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2009–2014 and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports under Project Contract No. MSMT-5397/2015.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Agder Research and Department for Working Life and Innovation, University of Agder, Grimstad, Norway

    James Karlsen

  2. Centre for Higher Education Studies, Prague, Czech Republic

    Jan Beseda & Karel Šima

  3. Agder Research and Department for Department of Political Science and Management, University of Agder, Kristiansand, Norway

    Barbara Zyzak

Authors
  1. James Karlsen
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  2. Jan Beseda
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  3. Karel Šima
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  4. Barbara Zyzak
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Correspondence to James Karlsen.

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Karlsen, J., Beseda, J., Šima, K. et al. Outsiders or Leaders? The Role of Higher Education Institutions in the Development of Peripheral Regions. High Educ Policy 30, 463–479 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41307-017-0065-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41307-017-0065-5

Keywords

  • higher education institutions
  • institutional role
  • regional role
  • peripheral regions
  • regional innovation systems
  • regional leadership