No abstract

Climate change, and its potentially catastrophic effects, may form the dominating world challenge of the twenty-first century. However, also of social and economic importance is the impact of a new demographics emerging from the interaction of two major global developments. First, high levels of internal and cross-border mass migration, stimulated by climate change, violence and disparities in wealth and social stability within and between different countries, and between the global South and North. Second, the phenomenon of increasing longevity and rapidly ageing populations, especially in the developed world.This book explores the central role that socially engaged higher education might potentially play in helping address these challenges, enhancing lifelong learning opportunities and facilitating more positive outcomes for both individuals and societies. As the UN evaluates progress in relation to achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (UN 2019a) and the OECD maps increasing levels of educational attainment -while also highlighting persisting inequalities (OECD 2018a)it becomes important to investigate the extent to which higher education systems are in fact responding to the societal challenges associated with contemporary sociodemographic upheavals.