7. Discussion and policy implications
This article argues that higher education reforms can create opportunities for HEIs to thrive under a legal umbrella to further reinforce their legitimacy and social contribution for societal development. This requires an exhaustive consideration of illities affecting HEIs (e.g., autonomy, accessibility, adaptability, flexibility, capacity). It requires policies towards the modernization of HEIs, and the expansion of the social basis for scientific and technological development (including its appropriation). The need to foster effective institutional autonomy and integrity of modern HEIs is reinforced in a context where innovation must be considered together with competence building and advanced training of people. This requires strengthening capacity at the top of the research system leading to knowledge production at the highest level. Our main argument is shown schematically by Fig. 4, which has clear policy implications. While accessibility and affordability require broadening the social basis of the “knowledge pyramid”, capacity and quality require policies oriented to pull-up the top of that same pyramid.
