Published Paper Details:

This study presents a cross-country analysis of higher education and its components leveraging insights from the Global Knowledge Index (GKI). The GKI provides a comprehensive framework for assessing knowledge related performance with a focus on seven composite sub-indices, including higher education as one of its sub-indices. The present study compares the performance of six South Asian countries, highlighting their strengths, weaknesses and the areas for improvement. The core focus of the study is to identify the areas where India lags behind other South Asian countries and investigate the root cause of these disparities. Our analysis reveals that India underperforms in the 'Employment' subcomponent which is a crucial aspect of higher education. Further examination suggests that India's socio-economic set up is the major contributor to this underperformance. Thus, the study provides valuable insights into the dynamics of Higher Education in South Asia, emphasizing the need to address the socio-economic challenges to improve the employability of educated youth.