Leadership for University-Affiliated Think Tanks and Socio-Economic Transformation in the Ugandan Higher Education Space
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Abstract
Despite the growing presence of university-affiliated think tanks in Uganda, limited scholarly attention has been paid to how their leadership enables knowledge translation and policy engagement for socio-economic transformation. This paper set out to review the role of think tanks in higher education. It explores leadership for university affiliated think tanks and socio-economic transformation in the Ugandan higher education space. Using qualitative narrative literature review, multidisciplinary and fragmented relevant literature across higher education leadership, was reviewed to conceptualize think tanks in higher education institutions and their roles in socio-economic transformation through knowledge production and brokerage, public policy, innovation, and development studies in Ugandan Universities. The review found that university-affiliated think tanks in Uganda are evolving from conventional research units into hybrid, networked and publicly engaged institutions that bridge academic knowledge, policy and practice through knowledge brokerage, innovation, stakeholder engagement and policy communication. Leadership emerged as the pivotal mechanism linking knowledge production to policy uptake, resource mobilization, institutional sustainability and socio-economic transformation, although tensions between autonomy, accountability, academic independence and external funding persist. The study concludes that the effectiveness and sustainability of university-affiliated think tanks depend not only on research capacity but also on strategic, adaptive and distributed leadership, supportive governance and strong stakeholder networks. It therefore recommends that Ugandan universities institutionalize think tanks through clear mandates and governance frameworks, strengthen leadership and knowledge-translation capacities, diversify sustainable funding, promote interdisciplinary and stakeholder co-creation, and build national and international networks that safeguard academic independence while enhancing policy influence and socio-economic impact.
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