The Prospects for the BRICs: The New Academic Superpowers?

Abstract

The BRIC countries—Brazil, Russia, India, and China—are expanding rapidly, and many observers see these countries as dominant economies in the coming decades. When economist Jim O’Neill coined the term BRIC in 2001, those countries accounted for 8 per cent of global gross domestic product (GDP). He predicted that this would increase to 14 per cent by 2011. In fact, the BRICs accounted for almost 20 per cent of GDP in 2012 (Liu and Li 2012). Fareed Zakaria, among others, has commented on a major shift in global influence away from North America and western Europe, and the BRICs are seen at the forefront of this shift (Zakaria 2008). Logic might dictate that academic power will rise along with economic and political expansion (Levin 2010). These four countries do indeed show impressive growth in their higher education systems and promise to expand and improve in the coming decades. Yet, it is by no means assured that the BRICs will achieve the academic prominence that is likely in economic or political spheres. Each, as will be discussed here, faces significant challenges. Some of the systemic factors that impact higher education in the BRICs are analyzed in this chapter; this is followed by an analysis of the most central prerequisite for academic development and excellence—the academic profession.