It cannot be assumed that the presence of a university is likely to be a good thing for a region's economic development in a knowledge economy. From the results of this research, it is not always the case that having a university in a region will bring an economic development benefit, in a knowledge-based world, beyond the simple transaction returns that ordinarily accrue to regions from public infrastructure generally.
This study shows that the generation of regional economic development outcomes from university location can be a function of the degree of active engagement of the university in the milieu in which it is located. Strong engagement gives rise to stronger regional economic development outcomes in terms of human capital, social capital and the realisation of economic development priority projects. Where engagement is poor or passive, regional communities miss knowledge-driven economic development benefits.
To some extent, relative university-region engagement may result from structural and regional growth circumstances, but it may also result from a range of local non-structural initiatives undertaken by the university and the region that together reflect an enterprising behaviour that transcends structural conditions.
The research in this study is based on 16 diverse university campuses and 15 equally diverse regions in the Australian context. Extensive campus, region and university institution data was collected through surveys and interviews, six regional community university facilitated workshops and detailed operating statistics for each campus and for each region. A number of initiatives were undertaken to improve the accuracy and consistency of the information that is used. An analytical approach was used that more fully accounts for spatial and university diversity, utilises three different yet clearly specified regional economic development outcomes, and assesses relative degrees of engagement.
The research is designed to make a number of significant improvements in both the method and data usage seen in other research in this emerging agenda of universities and regional economic development. ii Engagement is analysed in the context of three regional development outcomes. Human capital flows are assessed in terms of the geographic place of origin of the undergraduate student intake and the geographic work place destination of graduates from the campus.
Social capital engagement outcomes in the region are assessed in terms of leadership and strategic focus, the application of knowledge-enhancing learning programs, the implementation of information and promotion programs and the provision of university infrastructure support in the region for economic development purposes. Economic priority project outcomes are assessed in terms of the extent to which the university was actively involved in the region's articulated economic development priority projects.
For each of these regional economic development outcomes, structural and non-structural operational determinants of engagement are analysed for the 15 regions and their 16 campuses. A range of specific 'good practice' non-structural initiatives being undertaken by universities and their regions to strengthen engagement relationships and regional economic development outcomes are also highlighted.
When assessed against campus structural and region growth circumstances, in all but a few cases engagement between university campuses and their regions to generate regional economic development is poor. When weak structured campuses are located in low growth regions and strongly structured campuses are located in high growth regions, the regional economic development outcomes through engagement are mostly poor. The strong campus in the low growth region can have an impact on regional development outcomes through engagement, particularly in relation to social capital regional development.
Outside of campus and region structural and growth determinants, the innovative and enterprising practices of university managers and regional leaders to strengthen university-region links are also explored in relation to their contribution to engagement and are shown to have some impact. On the university side, these revolved around particular strategic, organisational, human resource and financial resource management initiatives. On the region side, such factors as leadership and strategic planning were important.
The study explores the implications of the research for policy and regional economic development theory.