Higher education has entered center-stage in the context of the knowledge economy and has been deployed in the search for economic competitiveness and social development. Against this backdrop, this highly illuminating Handbook explores worldwide convergences and divergences in national higher education systems resulting from increased global co-operation and competition. The expert contributors reveal the strategies, practices and governance mechanisms developed by international and regional organizations, national governments and by higher education institutions themselves. They analyze local responses to dominant global templates of higher education and the consequences for knowledge generation, social equity, economic development and the public good. This comprehensive and accessible Handbook will prove an invaluable reference tool for researchers, academics and students with an interest in higher education from economics, international studies and public policy perspectives, as well as for higher education policy makers, and funding and governance bodies. Contributors include: P. Brown, V. Carpentier, Q. Chen, D.D. Dill, J. Enders, E. Hazelkorn, G.A. Jones, S.G. Kamat, T. Kim, R. King, H. Lauder, Y. Lebeau, M. Li, A. Maldonado-Maldonado, S. Marginson, K.H. Mok, M. Mollis, C. Musselin, R. Naidoo, M. Olssen, M.A. Peters, E. Sall, M. Singh, W.G. Tierney, E. Unterhalter, J. Valimaa, M. van der Wende, J. Weinrib, D. Westerheijden, C. Ziguras