| Chapter 1: | Introduction |
it gained more credibility as a worthwhile strategy for poverty reduction. However, lending for higher education remains a relatively small part of the equation, in terms of both general World Bank policy and dollar amounts lent.
Two bodies of literature form the foundation for this study: research concerning poverty reduction (Sachs 2005), that is the response to the global crisis of poverty; and research concerning the knowledge economy, including the role of universities (Peters and Besley 2006; Slaughter and Rhoades 2004). Knowledge economy refers to the emergent global milieu that values the creation and dissemination of ideas (knowledge) as both foundational and a precursor to productivity. Because higher education is a cornerstone in the knowledge economy and serves as a significant point of interest for development agencies (such as the World Bank), it has been linked to effective poverty reduction.
Building on the groundwork of this literature, I have identified three areas that compose a theoretical framework for the present study and analysis: development theory (Escobar 1988, 1992; Peet and Hartwick 1999), postcolonial theory (Harvey 2003; Said 1993; Chomsky 1999, 2003), and theories and research in the field of indigenous knowledge (Alatas 1993; Musazi 1986). Each component of the theoretical framework offers a critical lens through which to view the role (and potential role) of higher education as well as higher education's connection to the knowledge economy and to poverty reduction. The three areas of the framework also represent the values I bring to the study: avoiding colonialist tendencies and building on indigenous-knowledge connections in order to reduce poverty through international development. These values, in turn, translated into hypotheses, points of origin for my investigation. First, based on an initial read of the critical literature, I anticipated that a study of the World Bank would reveal aspects of development economics with a tendency toward reproducing the colonial legacy. In addition, I believed that the value placed on indigenous knowledge would play an important role as developing countries formed an infrastructure for creating globally and locally relevant knowledge.