There are only two Polish research centers in higher education listed by Philip G. Altbach et al. in Higher Education: A Worldwide Inventory of Research Centers, Academic Programs, and Journals and Publications. 3rd Edition. International experts indicated two Polish institutions recognizable globally: our Centre for Public Policy Studies and a think-tank of the Polish Rectors Foundation – Institute of Knowledge Society (President: Prof. Jerzy Woźnicki).
Building on two past research projects and their resulting publications (Altbach and Engberg 2000; Altbach et. al. 2006), this book presents an up-to-date perspective on the global landscape of research, academic training, and publication in the field of higher education. The purpose of this effort is to provide researchers, policymakers, and others with a meaningful overview of where higher education training and research is taking place around the world. The inventory data also provide insight into the scope of these activities, and give indications about the specific areas in which different actors are choosing to focus. This book contains three main parts. The first is an essay that provides an overview of higher education research and training. It brings into focus the history and current trends of the field, reflects on the immense recent growth in this area, and outlines the main factors driving the (urgent) need for more and better data and analysis to guide higher education policy- and decisionmaking. The second section consists of an analytical essay that seeks to provide deeper understanding of what the inventory data tell us about the worldwide phenomenon of higher education research and training. The third component of this book is the inventory itself. This provides key information on each of the higher education-focused centers/institutes, academic programs, and journals (as well as other relevant publications) identified by this project. Altogether, this publication represents an important contribution to our emerging appreciation of how higher education as a field of study, research, and practice is organized and undertaken around the world.