Higher Education Policy
Open Forum
Tokyo 8 June 2007
Higher Education andRegions: Lessons learnt
from the OECD
international review
project
Jaana Puukka

...a club of like-minded countries• A forum in which governments work together to address
economic, social and environmental challenges ofinterdependence and globalisation• A provider of comparative data, analysis and forecasts• 30 member countries• Relationships with more than 70 developing andtransition economies• Negotiations to be started with Estonia, Slovenia, Chile,
Israel, Russia; enhanced engagement programmes withBrazil, China, India, South Africa and Indonesia• Secretariat with 2300 staff at Paris headquarters• More than 15 Directorates2

Programme on Institutional
Management of Higher Education
IMHE improves higher education by providing strategic
analysis on institutional development in the context ofnational policy and global trends• 220+ members, including more than 150 individual
higher education institutions (HEIs) and 17 education
Ministries• Unusual in that it involves HEIs as well as Government
Ministries and agencies• More than an institutional voice to Education Directorate 3

IMHE key activities• HEIs and regional development• Mission and Diversity of HEIs
• Governance, finance and humanresources in HE and HEIs
• Building capacity in institutions• Developing the knowledge base4OECD has now a stronger
focus on education…

…and the role of higher education is
growing in importance….
WHY?

5

More people are completing
tertiary education than everbefore…
…in some countries,
growth has been
spectacular…
…but others have fallen
behind.

6

tat
es

55-64
45-54
35-44

e

Source: OECD (2004) Education at a Glance: OECD Indicators 2004, Table A3.3, p.71.
keyAustria
Po rtug
alMe
xicoTur

Ita
ly

Gre
ece

Korea
BelgiuSlomv ak
Rep
ubl
ic

SpainFra
nc

Japan
Ge
rma
nyCzechRepubl
ic
PolandLuxembourg
Ire
land
Ne
wZ
eal
and

Au
str
alia
Hunga
ry
Ice
land
Fin
land

No
rway
De
nma
rk
Ne
ther lands
Can
ada
Sw
eden
Sw
itz
er landUnitedKin
gdomUnitedS

Percentage

Completion of tertiary-type A
education
403530252015105025-34
7

Benefits of Education…

…higher employment rates…
…higher earnings for individuals

8Relative average earnings of30-44
year-olds
Upper secondary and post secondary non-tertiary = 100260240220200
180
160
140
120
100
80
60

Male-tertiary

Female-tertiaryMale-below upper sec

Sp
ain
Ne
wZ
eal
and

De
nm
ark

Kor
ea

Ne
the
rlands

Ire
land

Bel
gium

Ge
rm
any

Sw
itz
erl
and

Norwa
y

Ita
ly

Au
str
alia

Canada

Sw
eden

Fin
land
Un
itedKing
dom

Fra
nce

Por
tug
alCzechRepubl
ic

Hu
nga
ry
Un
itedStates40

Female-below upper sec

Source: OECD (2004) Education at a Glance: OECD Indicators 2004, Table A11.1a, p.175.

9

Increased productivity…
… and economic growthfor countries

10Consider South Korea
1960s

Beginning of 21st Century
WealthBelow all South American countries.
Around level of Afghanistan.

20th in OECD.

Educational expenditure
1st in OECD in % of GDP.

Educational attainment
completing secondary – 24th in OECD.
completing tertiary – 20th in OECD.

completing secondary – 1st in OECD.
completing tertiary – 3rd in OECD.

Educational quality
4th in reading, 1st in mathematics
1st in science in OECD.

Educational equity
1st in OECD.

11

Now Consider Regions andtheir Competitiveness…
…Does Higher Education
Matter…?

12

OECD Project on“Supporting theContribution of HEIs toRegional Development”

13

Objectives• Respond to initiatives across OECD to mobilise Highereducation (HE) in support of regional development• Synthesise experience into a coherent body of policy andpractice to guide higher education institutions (HEIs)
and regional and national governments• Provide opportunities for dialogue and assist in capacity
building in each country, region and HEI

14

Methodology• A common framework for regional self-evaluation
developed by the OECD task group• Self-evaluation report by regional consortium using
OECD guidelines• Visit by international peer review team
• Peer Review Report and response from the region• Analysis and synthesis by OECD task group drawing
upon regional case studies, OECD territorial reviews andcommissioned literature review• Dissemination of synthesis report and conclusions

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Focus of Evaluation••••

Regional contexts
Regional/national higher education systems
Contribution of research to regional innovation
Contribution of teaching and learning to labour marketand skills• Contribution to social and cultural development andenvironmental sustainability• Contribution to regional capacity building

16

Participating Regions• 14 regions in 12 countries including one cross-border region
17Participants
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Australia (Sunshine-Fraser Coast)
Brazil (Northern Paraná)
Canada (Atlantic Canada)
Denmark (Jutland-Funen)
Denmark-Sweden (Öresund)Finland (Jyväskylä region)
Korea (Busan)
Mexico (State of Nuevo León)
Netherlands (Twente)
Norway (Trøndelag, Mid-Norway)
Spain (autonomous regions of Valencia and CanaryIslands)• Sweden (Värmland)• UK (the North East of England)18

What Have We
Learnt….?

19

To Become
Globally Competitive Countries
Need to Invest in their Innovation Systems

not only at the national, but also
regional level… HEIs can play a key role in Regional
Systems…..

20

Innovation with regional focus• National efforts to transform HEIs into engines forgrowth• Indirect measures to enhance HEI autonomy, improve
framework conditions and incentives to work with firms• Two prominent ways: enhancing HEI role in innovation
systems and cluster type initiatives• Incentives often temporary• Policy focus on high technologies
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Innovation-led Growth: 4 pathways
Indigenous
creation ofnewindustry

Exogeneous
creation ofnewindustry

Diversificationof existing
industry into
newUpgradingexisting
matureindustry- Create
entirelynewindustry- Importnew
industry
to theregion- Use the coretechnologies ofan existing anddeclining
industry- Enhance
products,services orproduction
technologies

22In Castellon, Valencia, Universidad Jaume I isrecognised as a world leader R&D in the tileindustry.
It has helped to transform the region’s
traditional industry. The growth is built ontechnology transfer, spin-offs and upgradingof existing technologies.
– Today, Valencia is a global leader in the tiles
and ceramics industry.
Source: the Valencia Region SER23

North East of England is marked by adeclining manufacturing base, wide disparities
and low skills.
5 universities collaborate through Unis4NE;
Knowledge House is a single access point tohelp companies access university skills,
expertise and specialist resources:
consultancy, training and research anddevelopment.
Its clients range from SMEs to multinationalsAnnually 1000+ enquiries and 200 client
contracts; Business growth: 25%
Source: the North East England SER

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Human capital development• Different ways, e.g. educating a wider range ofindividuals in the local area, ensuring theiremployability, addressing new skills requirements,
supporting professional development and upskilling andattracting talent to region• Improving the balance of btw labour market supply anddemand• Work-based learning programmes, PBL

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In Aalborg University, Denmark, up to 50%of the study work consists of problemoriented project work: students work inteams to solve problems which have been
identified in co-operation with firms,
public organisations and other institutions.
At any one time there are 2000-3000
ongoing projects that ensure theuniversity’s engagement with thesurrounding society.

Source: the Jutland-Funen SER

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… There Are Other Typesof Contributions,
Too..

27

In Central Finland, Jyväskylä University of Applied
Sciences has helped to rehabilitate 800 long term
unemployed back to working life with a wide range ofphysical and social rehabilitation measures, partly
delivered through the student training centre.
Source: The Jyväskylä region SER

In the North East ofEngland, the 5 HEIs use
sports as a means to widen
access to HE, to raise
aspirations and to enhancesocial cohesion within theexcluded communities.
Source: the NE England SER

In Mexico, all university
students are obliged to do
480 hours community work.
In Monterrey University
Social Service is geared
towards addressing theneeds of the community.
Source: the Nuevo Leon SER28

Good practice and abundance ofaction, but• Action based on generic growth• A lack of systematic processes and limited co-operation
among HEIs and btw HEIs and stakeholders• Most countries support industry/science collaboration
with temporary incentives: Focus on research,technology transfer, business-related competitiveness• Human capital development plays a key role in regionbuilding; more work is needed to focus on “knowledgetransfer on legs” i.e. students’ role
• Widening access, lifelong learning and equity• Contribution to social, cultural and environmental
development and HEIs’ role as “good citizens” not often
embraced• Common challenge: what to do with low-tech SMEs?
29Barriers
National

Regional

Uncoordinated HE,S&T and territorial
policyFragmented local
Weak management,govs, weak leadership lack ofentrepreneurial
Intraregional andcultureinterinstitutional
competition
Tensions between
regional engagement
HEIs not part of& academic
strategy work andexcellence
implementation
Lack of incentives toindividuals

Limits to HEIs’
autonomy
Limited incentives toHEIs

Institutional30

Pointers for governments• Make regional engagement explicit in HE legislation• Strengthen institutional autonomy and provide funding
incentives (core and incentive-based)• Develop indicators and monitor outcomes• Require HEI governance to involve regional
stakeholders; encourage the participation of HEIs inregional governance• Support collaboration between HEIs and mobilise
resources for joint regional and urban strategies• Provide a more supportive environment for universityenterprise co-operation• Focus on human capital development

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Pointers for regional and local
authorities• Establish a partnership structure of key stakeholders toprovide a focus for dialogue with HE in relation to its
contribution to regional development• Mobilise joint HEI resources for regional and urban strategies
for economic, social and cultural development• Invest jointly with HEIs in programmes which bring benefit toregional businesses and the community in a sustainable basis• translational research facilities• advisory services for SMEs
• professional development• graduate retention• cultural facilities and programmes• Ensure a fully functional human capital system with pathways
between different levels of education.

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Pointers for HEIs
• Map the regional and external links; carry out a selfevaluation of institutional capacity to respond to regionalneeds• Adopt a wide agenda of regional engagement; monitorresults and acknowledge that regional engagement
enhance the core missions of teaching and research• Develop senior management teams, establish a regional
development office to mainstream the regional agenda;
develop facilitators• Establish modern administration with HR and financial
resources management systems: Review recruitment,
hiring and reward systems.
• Establish partnership organisations between HEIs

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All reports published atwww.oecd.org/edu/higher/regionaldevelopment
Contact
jaana.puukka@oecd.org

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International Launch Conference
Globally Competitive, Locally Engaged
higher education and regions
Valencia, Spain
19-21 September 2007
www.oecd.org/edu/imhe/valencia

Thank youfor your attention
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