Stefano Usai (p), Emmanuela Marrocu, Raffaele Paci

Claudio Detotto

Universities are fundamental actors to enhance regional economic performance since they generate human capital, research and knowledge diffusion. The literature has analysed the universities' impact following the demand-side GDP and the supply-side knowledge production approaches. We propose a novel analysis by investigating the university effects on Total Factor Productivity. We distinguish between direct and indirect effects. The former is due to universities' highly differentiated "third mission" activities. The indirect effects originate from human capital and technology creation. Our analysis provides evidence of sizeable and robust direct effects which complement the traditional indirect ones in enhancing European regional TFP growth.

Arthur Pereira Sales (p), Placido Alderado Castelo Neto

Stefano Usai

(See extended abstract)

THE ROLE OF UNIVERSITIES IN REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT: THE CASE OF THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF CEARÁ (UECE), BRAZIL.

Abstract

According to the Times Higher Education through The Impact Rankings 2021, the State University of Ceará (UECE) is ranked 92nd in the world and 4th in Brazil in "Quality Education", besides being indicated as one of the best universities in Latin America and the Caribbean by the Latin America University Rankings 2021. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to discuss the role of UECE in the regional development of the State of Ceará-Brazil. For this, part of the available theoretical referential and secondary data was used, taken from official documents, such as the Institutional Development Plan, the Management Report, and the catalog "UECE in numbers", collected through the institution's website. With the proposed work, it was noted that the UECE has sought to contribute to regional development, by bringing from its mission, principles, and values related to diversity and the environment, and the search to reduce social disparity. It was concluded that the UECE is an entrepreneurial university, as it creates mechanisms to support innovation, technological development, and the entrepreneurial spirit of its students and faculty. Furthermore, it is a fundamental part of the Triple Helix of State of Ceará-Brazil, because through partnerships with the State Government and the private sector it promotes programs and projects for society, through research, incubator development, and inclusive activities.

Keywords: Regional Development. Entrepreneurial Universities. Triple Helix.

Jane Wuth (p), Lena Füner

Arthur Pereira Sales

Knowledge spillovers can stimulate regional entrepreneurship (D. B. Audretsch & Lehmann, 2005). In this context, universities and research institutions are understood as primary knowledge producing entities. Business incubators maintain ties to these entities also across district borders. They therefore bear the potential to act as vehicle transporting knowledge to districts beyond the reach of spatially bound spillovers. Existing literature is primarily focused on finding and explaining effects that universities and research institutes or the industry itself have on the regional innovation and entrepreneurial activities. Using fixed effects panel regressions, the effect of business incubators to support knowledge diffusion within regions that inhabit universities and research institutes is analyzed. Additionally controlling for spillovers through spatial regressions, we try to grasp the potential for business incubators to transport knowledge generated by higher education and research institutions across district borders to also stimulate supra-regional entrepreneurship.

Bianca Biagi, Laura Ciucci, Claudio Detotto (p), Manuela Pulina

Jane Wuth

This paper investigates the pull factors that influence the dynamics of first-year undergraduates at university. The focus is devoted to the role of internal supply factors (e.g., course quantity and quality, fees) and external factors related to the structural characteristics of the hosting location. Three main research questions are assessed. (RQ1) Are diversification and divergence of teaching programs good strategies to increase demand? Do these effects change with (RQ2) the internal characteristics of universities (i.e., size and quality of research) and/or (RQ3) the external characteristics of universities (i.e., geographical location, type of city, proximity of another university)? The empirical analysis employs Italian data over 2013-2019. Based on a panel data approach, the findings reveal a tendency to converge towards the typical national specialisation. Yet diversification, especially for small-sized universities, positively drives demand. Besides, interesting differences are found at a geographical level. Based on the empirical findings, policy implications are drawn.