The relationship between geography and higher education and research is of growing interest to policymakers and academic researchers, due to the availability of micro-data and the increasing policy focus. However, there is a lack of understanding of the mechanisms through which higher education institutions contribute to innovation and entrepreneurship in their own locations. The analysis in the special issue will look for measurable, tangible impacts on regional development and innovation, going beyond a case study methodology to examine which new practices are making a difference. The way in which higher education institutions generate knowledge spillovers is a largely underexplored area due to its multidimensional nature, involving different areas of knowledge, analysis, and policy.
This special issue on the Geography of Higher Education aims to host an eclectic mix of articles at the crossroads of higher education, innovation and regional development. The special issue will discuss the way in which changing policy frameworks and narratives can morph a spatially blind policy, such as higher education, into a driver of regional development and innovation, as well as the reasons why these links fail to develop, in practice. As such, the issue will touch on topics such as the economics of innovation, entrepreneurship, industrial policy, sustainable development, regional and urban development, and evaluation. The special issue will develop the analysis based on an empirical approach including qualitative and quantitative contributions. Finally, yet importantly, it will combine theory to empirical evidence by connecting with an international policy dialogue facilitated by the OECD and animated by the Entrepreneurship Education, Collaboration and Engagement (EECOLE) network.
