Dilemmas in Regional University-Industry Research Collaboration

Although it is now well recognised that universities perform an important role in knowledge creation and diffusion in regions, the extent of regional research collaboration is limited. This article analyses the local collaborative research performance of three Australian regional universities and raises several dilemmas: the indeterminacy of regional engagement policies; weak demand drivers; the scale of the region; the challenge of balancing regional research work, national/international work, competition and collaboration; and the appropriate role of government. The experience of academics and managers in these universities may resonate with others, particularly in European countries, who face similar challenges.     

Determinants of youth not in education,employment or training: Evidence from Sri Lanka

The presence of a large proportion of youth neither in education, employment, or training (NEET) signals problems in a country’s education and labor market systems, and has wide‐ranging negative consequences, extending beyond the individual to the economy and society. Using Sri Lankan Labour Force Survey data for the year 2016 and binomial and multinomial logistic regression models, in this paper we provide the first estimates of NEET‐related risk factors in Sri Lanka. Key risk factors of becoming NEET include being female, being of ethnic and religious minorities, belonging to the older 20 to 24 age group, having very low or very high levels of education, being illiterate in English, belonging to a low‐income household or one headed by a male, having young children, and living in more remote areas. Our findings hold several important policy implications for reducing the NEET rate in Sri Lanka and engaging more youth in education and in the labor force.