Abstract:
In many parts of the world, especially Sub-Saharan Africa, universities are confronted with the challenges of dependence on public resources within neoliberal contexts characterized by state underfunding and the politicization of university governance. Amid these rising fiscal precarities and state pressures on higher education, scholars in resource-dependent contexts are increasingly facing constraints on their academic freedom. Using the example of the University of Zambia, this essay investigates the issues academics encounter when operating in the context of financial limitations and political interference in the Global South. It highlights the difficulties in pursuing independent research and disseminating critical knowledge under conditions of resource dependence and external political pressures. The UNZA experience demonstrates the stakes of compromised academic freedom, proposing a rethinking of strategies for fostering intellectual independence and institutional autonomy in resource-limited settings.
Download "Navigating Fiscal Precarity and the Erosion of Academic Freedom in an Era of Resource Dependence in Africa: A Zambian Perspective" or read it below.