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Chapter 7 comprises edited excerpts from the first two chapters of the publication Universities and Economic Development in Africa (Cloete et al. 2011). The chapter draws on empirical evidence to establish what the predominant notions of the roles of African universities are – both at institutional and government levels. It shows that the notions are mixed and often not in alignment within higher education systems, and even if there is a strong notion of the development role of the university as knowledge producer and/or system-level alignment, the knowledge production aspirations are not matched by the realities at the coal-face., Published by African Minds.

Chapter 5 in the book Knowledge Production and Contradictory Functions in African Higher Education., Published by African Minds.

Chapter 12 in the book Knowledge Production and Contradictory Functions in African Higher Education., Published by African Minds.

Chapter 9 in the book Knowledge Production and Contradictory Functions in African Higher Education., Published by African Minds.

Currently, Africa has more than half of the 20 fastest-growing economies in the world, which has contributed to what has been called the era of Africa Rising or a New Africa. In order to further strengthen socio-economic development, African universities need to improve their ability to produce and apply knowledge in effective and relevant ways. In OECD countries there are several public and private sites for knowledge production, but in Africa the university is the only knowledge institution, and hardly any knowledge is produced outside of the university. However, the performance of African universities in knowledge production has not been impressive. It has generally been acknowledged by agencies such as the African Observatory for Science, Technology and Innovation and the World Bank, as well as leading development scholars, that African universities are lagging behind the rest of the world in their knowledge production function. There has been only weak empirical evidence on the actual performance of universities, with virtually no cross-institutional and cross-country comparative research on the factors that are responsible for the poor performance of universities in knowledge production across the continent. The crossroads African universities are facing consist of, on the one hand, a familiar path of relative decoupling between the university and its nations socio-economic development and, on the other hand, a path that requires far-reaching changes that could make it possible for the African university to connect much more productively to the main actors in emerging national (and in some cases regional) development and innovation networks. For the latter path to become accessible, these universities and their national authorities need research-rooted information. "This volume brings together excellent scholarship and innovative policy discussion to demonstrate the essential role of higher education in the development of Africa and of the world at large. Based on deep knowledge of the university system in several African countries, this book will reshape the debate on development in the global information economy for years to come. It should be mandatory reading for academics, policy-makers and concerned citizens, in Africa and elsewhere." - Manuel Castells, Professor Emeritus, University of California at Berkeley

Bibliography: leaves 181-187., Since its emergence in the 1800s in Germany, the 'modern' Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree has been one of the cornerstones of new knowledge production and research training. Over the past two decades, there has been a surge of debate and reform around doctoral eduction internationally as a result of significant changes in both the global and local contexts within which doctoral education takes place. At the macro level, globalisation and the global economy are redefining what constitutes knowledge, who produces it and for what purposes. At the same time, more than ever before, many governments are depending on doctoral graduates to contribute to achieving national goals. These developments have drawn into question the purpose and form of doctoral programmes and the knowledge products and training outcomes they produce.

Descriptions of the proposed actions that may affect historic buildings at Andrews Air Force Base in 1996.