LIST OF WORKSHOPS

CURRENT CONDITIONS, POLICY CHALLENGES AND ORGANIZATIONAL MODELS IN LATIN AMERICAN HIGHER EDUCATION

Research Questions. This IPPA workshop aims at answering four main research questions, which are: 1) Are there any common features in the current state of Latin American universities, especially public ones, in aspects such as access, funding, infrastructure, curriculum, teaching and research capabilities, institutional visions and leadership models? 2) If some common features can be identified, What would be the main challenges facing Latin American universities? 3) What higher education models and public policies have been or could be implemented to face such challenges? And 4) What results or prospects may derive from such models and policies?

Context. Latin American universities play a pivotal role in shaping the region's socio-economic development, driving innovation, and fostering educational and intellectual growth. This workshop would aim at arguing that there are some common conditions and challenges facing higher education institutions in the region. As coverage has increased from 23% in 2000, to 41% in 2010 and 52% in 2018, higher education increasingly brings many benefits for the development of people and countries in the region (UNESCO-IESALC, 2020). However, access remains highly unequal, as certain population attributes (particularly socioeconomic status and gender, but also geographical location, ethnicity and race, as well as disability) have led to an important gap in access to higher education (ECLAC, 2016). Most probably the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the unequal access to higher education. On the other hand, Latin American universities grapple with challenges such as limited funding, outdated infrastructure, and a brain drain phenomenon where talented academics seek opportunities abroad.

Furthermore, Latin American universities seem to face some common challenges related to research and teaching, which hinder their ability to contribute significantly to global knowledge. As of research, it is often impeded by scarce resources. Additionally, limited collaboration between academia and industry restricts the practical application of research findings. Teaching, in turn, often faces challenges related to large class sizes, outdated curricula, and a scarcity of well-trained educators. Moreover, diverse student body comes from different cultural backgrounds, necessitating innovative teaching methods. One of the major problems in Latin American higher education is the high percentage of students who do not graduate. In the mid-2010s, a regional average of one third of university students completed their courses on time, and among students between 25 and 29 years of age who had enrolled, only 46% had graduated, 22% had dropped out and 32% were still studying. Although in general low, the graduation rate varies a lot within the region: While in Mexico and Peru it was 65%, in Honduras, Bolivia and Costa Rica it was under 40% (Haimovich, 2017). On the other hand, it is true that higher education leads to better paid and more stable jobs. The average income of university graduates in the region puts them in the top 10 to 20% of the highest earners in their respective countries. Those who complete higher education can expect, on average, a 104% return compared with those who have only completed secondary school (Ferreyra et al, 2017). However, behind these results there is wide variation, which depends on the type of provider (university, vocational institute or technical center), the course and subject area, and the quality or reputation of the institution (Urzúa, 2017). In many cases, unfortunately universities are not providing the skills needed in the job market.

Understanding the challenges faced by Latin American universities is crucial for the overall development of the region. By studying these challenges, this research aims at providing valuable insights for policymakers and educators, so that universities in the region improve the access as well as the quality of education, foster innovation, and contribute more effectively to social development and global knowledge. Finally, it is essential to join efforts to find innovative solutions that counteract the effects of the various problems present on the quality of education and thus assure the improvement of institutional performance.

State of the art, main issues addressed and contribution to research in the field.  In relation to the questions posed, organizational theory offers a valuable perspective to enhance institutional performance by analyzing institutions in terms of their structure, policies, financial resources, and technology. Higher education institutions, due to their complexities, require a focus on governance, management, and leadership to achieve their academic objectives and serve a diverse audience. The centralization of resources, whether from the public or private sector, is also a significant factor, and this approach can provide tools to understand how these institutions operate and improve their performance (Marulandia et al. 2013). Denison (2019) proposes analyzing organizational culture as a crucial element to impact the quality of education by enhancing institutional performance. In this regard, organizational culture can be pivotal in achieving objectives, developing a shared vision, and establishing institutional policies from the perspective of all stakeholders. Furthermore, Schein (1992) emphasizes the importance of focusing on culture to positively influence individual behavior and achieve successful strategic results. In this context, universities need to focus their efforts on improving their performance to meet the demands of a globalized and ever-changing world. Moreover, higher education institutions face critical challenges in transitioning to online education and must adapt technologically. The consequences of this new model will affect various stakeholders, including students, faculty, administrative staff, authorities, and research centers. Thus, as a working hypothesis, we would like to explore the idea that organizational structure, management, culture and leadership play a key role in the current conditions as well as the possible transformation and improvement of higher education in Latin America. This workshop will aim at advancing knowledge in this field by discussing the extent to which these arguments hold in Latin American context, and with what consequences for the capacity of states in the region to adequately face the challenges facing higher education, especially public universities.

Papers and research agenda. This workshop would be mainly interested in receiving papers which address the workshop´s research questions, arguments and hypothesis, adopting an empirical approach in the format of either country cases or comparative studies. Such cases or studies are expected to be based on the revision of primary and secondary bibliographic sources as well as interviews whenever possible. The workshop will involve on site presentations of the written papers received, and their discussion aiming at reaching answers to the research questions as well as the gathering of empirical evidence in favor or against the general arguments and the working hypothesis of the workshop. We plan to organize a second meeting in 2025 to discuss the revisions made to the papers, which could take place on site or on line. One possibility for that would be proposing some panels for ICPP-7. The organizers of the workshop would be following up the revisions of the papers, providing feedback and communicating the calendar of meetings.  We expect to be able to present a book proposal to an editor at the end of 2025. Although so far we do not have specific participants confirmed, we know a good number of researchers within the IPPA Latin American Policy Network and the several Latin American networks related to higher education --which involve hundreds of researchers--, many of which quite likely would be interested in participating in the workshop.

References

Denison Consulting. (2019). Corporate culture and organizational effectiveness. Downloaded from https://www.denisonconsulting.com/culture-surveys/

ECLAC (2016), The social inequality matrix in Latin America. Santiago, Chile, ECLAC.

Ferreyra, M.M. et al (2017), At a Crossroads: Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean. Directions in Development. Washington, DC, World Bank.

Haimovich, F. (2017), “Equity, Quality, and Variety of Higher Education”, in M.M. Ferreyra et al, At a crossroads: Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean. Directions in Development. Washington, DC, World Bank.

Marulandia, C. E., López, M. T., & Mejía, M. G. (2013). Análisis de la Gestión del Conocimiento en PYMES de Colombia. Gerencia, Tecnología e Información GTI, 12(33), 33-43.

Schein, E. (1992). Organizational Culture an Leadership. Jossey Bass.

UNESCO-IESALC (2020), Hacia el acceso universal a la educación superior: tendencias Internacionales. París, Francia, UNESCO-IESALC.

Urzúa, S. (2017), “The Economic Impact of Higher Education”, in M.M. Ferreyra et al, At a Crossroads: Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean. Directions in Development. Washington, DC, World Bank.

This workshop would be mainly interested in receiving papers which address the workshop´s research questions, arguments and hypothesis, adopting an empirical approach in the format of either country cases or comparative studies. Such cases or studies are expected to be based on the revision of primary and secondary bibliographic sources as well as interviews whenever possible. We would especially welcome papers related to answering the following four main research questions: 1) Are there any common features in the current state of Latin American universities, especially public ones, in aspects such as access, funding, infrastructure, curriculum, teaching and research capabilities, institutional visions and leadership models? 2) If some common features can be identified, What would be the main challenges facing Latin American universities? 3) What higher education models, organizations and public policies have been or could be implemented to face such challenges? And 4) What results or prospects may derive from such models, organizations and policies? As a working hypothesis, this workshop would like to explore the idea that organizational structure, management, culture and leadership play a key role in the current conditions as well as the possible transformation and improvement of higher education in Latin America. We would welcome papers from diverse perspectives addressing a variety of topics, but especially those which pay attention to organizational aspects of Latin American universities and higher education policies, such as institutional structure, governance, management, leadership, policies, financial resources, and technology, in the current context of higher education in Latin America, as well as those which deal with the relations between universities and higher education policies. The workshop will involve presentations and discussion of the written papers received, aiming at reaching answers to the research questions as well as gathering of empirical evidence in favor or against the abovementioned arguments and topics.

CURRENT CONDITIONS, POLICY CHALLENGES AND ORGANIZATIONAL MODELS IN LATIN AMERICAN HIGHER EDUCATION

This IPPA workshop aims at answering four main research questions, which are: 1) Are there any common features in the current state of Latin American universities, especially public ones, in aspects such as access, funding, infrastructure, curriculum, teaching and research capabilities, institutional visions and leadership models? 2) If some common features can be identified, What would be the main challenges facing Latin American universities? 3) What higher education models, organizations and public policies have been or could be implemented to face such challenges? And 4) What results or prospects may derive from such models, organizations and policies? In relation to these questions, organizational theory offers a valuable perspective to enhance institutional performance by analyzing institutions in terms of their structure, policies, financial resources, and technology. Higher education institutions require a focus on governance, management, and leadership to achieve their academic objectives, meet the demands of a globalized and ever-changing world and adapt technologically. Analyzing organizational cultures is crucial to have an impact on the quality of education by enhancing institutional performance, as such culture can be pivotal in achieving objectives, developing a shared vision, and establishing institutional policies from the perspective of all stakeholders. As a working hypothesis, thus we would like to explore the idea that organizational structure, management, culture and leadership play a key role in the current conditions as well as the possible transformation and improvement of higher education in Latin America. This workshop will aim at advancing knowledge in this field by discussing the extent to which these arguments hold in the Latin American context, and with what consequences for the capacity of states in the region to adequately face the challenges facing higher education, especially those of public universities.

José Luis Méndez es profesor–investigador de El Colegio de México. Ha sido Visiting Scholar y Lecturer in Goverment en la Universidad de Harvard, Fullbright Scholar y Teaching Fellow en la Universidad de Pittsburgh y Visiting Fellow en la Universidad de California–San Diego. Es Investigador Nacional nivel III del Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología de México y Coordinador del Grupo de Investigación “Ejecutivo, Legislativo y Políticas Públicas” de la Asociación Mexicana de Ciencia Política (AMECIP). Fue electo Vicepresidente (2022-2023) y miembro del Comité Ejecutivo (2019-2023) de la International Public Policy Association (IPPA). Es coordinador general y uno de los profesores del curso “Liderazgos por un México Mejor” impartido por El Colegio de México y la Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education. Es coordinador de la comisión organizadora del I Premio Nacional de Políticas Públicas COLMEX-UDEM. Estudió la licenciatura en Relaciones Internacionales en el COLMEX (1977-1981) y la Maestría y Doctorado en Ciencia Política (con certificado en Estudios Latinoamericanos) en la Universidad de Pittsburgh (1987-1991). Elaboró una tesis doctoral sobre políticas públicas comparadas bajo la dirección de Guy Peters. Tiene 96 publicaciones académicas, en español, inglés o portugués. Ha impartido 71 cursos y 74 conferencias en múltiples universidades.

El Dr. Abraham Alfredo Hernández Paz es Director de la Facultad de Ciencias Políticas y Relaciones Internacionales de la Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (UANL), pertenece al Sistema Nacional de Investigadores (SNI) en el nivel I y tiene el reconocimiento de profesor con perfil deseable PRODEP de tiempo completo. Ha realizado estancias académicas en universidades como George Washington University y la Universidad Pablo Olavide. Es Licenciado y Máster en Relaciones Internacionales por la Facultad de Ciencias Políticas y Relaciones Internacionales de la UANL. Tiene la especialidad en Política y Gestión Educativa por la Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales-México, es Doctor en filosofía con orientación en Ciencias Políticas por la UANL, y doctor en Gerencia y Política Educativa por el Centro de Estudios Universitarios de Baja California. Realizó la maestría en Administración de empresas en el Instituto Panamericano de Alta Dirección de Empresa y obtuvo el reconocimiento #CrearValor Monterrey 2020. Ha impartido distintas asignaturas en Licenciatura y Posgrado, forma parte del Cuerpo Académico sobre Gestión y Política Educativa, pertenece a redes académicas nacionales e internacionales, es miembro de comités y dictaminador en revistas científicas, ha sido conferencista y cuenta con más de 50 publicaciones científicas.

El Dr. Oswaldo Leyva Cordero es Subdirector de Posgrado e Investigación de la Facultad de Ciencias Políticas y Relaciones Internacionales (FCPyRI) de la Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (UANL) y pertenece al Sistema Nacional de Investigadores (SNI) nivel I. Es integrante de la Red Iberoamericana de Gobernanza Universitaria, investigador invitado por el Instituto Interuniversitario de Investigación Educativa en Chile y Líder del Cuerpo Académico Gestión y Política Educativa de la UANL. Tiene la especialidad en Política y Gestión Educativa por la Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales-México. Es Máster en Políticas Públicas y Doctor en Gerencia y Política Educativa por el Centro de Estudios Universitarios de Baja California, y Doctor en filosofía con orientación en Ciencias Políticas por la UANL. Ha impartido asignaturas en Licenciatura y Posgrado, es editor de la Revista Política Globalidad y Ciudadanía, forma parte del comité internacional de la Revista Estudios Políticos Estratégicos de Chile, miembro del Comité Editorial de la Revista Journal of the Academy de Perú y miembro del comité científico de la Revista Iberoamericana de Educación (Sevilla, España). Forma parte del comité de evaluación de proyectos científicos del Ministerio de Educación en Chile y del Certamen de ensayos sobre educación 4.0 de ANUIES.