Expansion of higher education systems around the world is likely to continue, according to a study that found a strong correlation between opening universities and significantly increased economic growth. An analysis of data on 14,870 higher education institutions in 78 countries over six decades, presented at the annual conference of the Royal Economic Society, reveals that doubling the number of universities in a region results in a 4.7 percent increase in gross domestic product per capita in that region within five years, on average. John Van Reenen, professor of economics at the London School of Economics and Political Science, and Anna Valero, a research economist at LSE’s Center for Economic Performance, found that opening universities had a positive impact not only in the “home” region but also in neighboring areas.

March 31, 2016 ・ From Times Higher Education