Authors: Joanne Neary & Michael Osborne
School of Education, University of Glasgow

Edition: Volume 58, Number 3, November 2018

Introduction: While initial discussions of the third mission of universities focussed on market-orientated behaviours of universities, more recently it has been connected to activities that focus on social justice and promoting sustainability (Trencher, Bai, Evans, McCormick & Yarime, 2014; Appe & Barragán, 2017). It has been suggested that the third mission of universities in the Global South may be particularly significant in addressing acutely felt issues of climate change, economic inequalities, food insecurity and urban sprawl. The current paper explores this and asks whether the quadruple helix (Carayannis & Campbell, 2010) is visible in their engagement activities.

Using a synthesis of case studies developed as part of the ‘Strengthening Urban Engagement of Universities in Africa and Asia’ (SUEUAA) project, a collaborative research project spanning seven cities (Glasgow; Harare; Dar-es-Salaam; Johannesburg; Duhok; Sanandaj; and Manila), we explore ongoing engagement activities where universities respond to city demand. We frame this in terms of Sustainable Development Goals.

Results indicate while universities were seen to address city demands, they often reacted without a network of other influential actors (i.e. industry, local government or NGO partners). This suggests that currently, the quadruple helix is underdeveloped in these cities, and more work should be done in creating closer links.

Keywords: third mission, Global South, quadruple helix, community engagement

Share a copy of this abstract.

This article is part of AJAL, Volume 58:3. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.