East Asia has seen impressive gains in the expansion of access to higher education with the significance of higher education expected to increase as countries in the region face the challenge of sustaining growth. Still, much work needs to be done if higher education is to realize its full potential - to produce the skills and research needed for innovation and growth. "Disconnects" between higher education institutions and the skill and research users and providers they interact with have undermined the functioning of the higher education system. Most of these “disconnects” are due to information, capacity, and incentive constraints that can be addressed through effective public policy. Circumstances vary from country to country, but reforms in financing, management of public institutions and stewardship of the entire higher education system should have the highest priority in low- and middle-income East Asia.

These are some of the key messages from Putting Higher Education to Work: Skills and Research for Growth in East Asia, the latest East Asia flagship report. This piece takes a comprehensive look at higher education in the region to explore how higher education systems can produce the type of skills and kind of commercially applicable research that will drive growth. Though focused on the developing countries in East Asia, the report's methodology and messages are of interest and value to researchers and policy-makers in around the world. The purpose of this book launch is to present the main analytical and policy findings of the report and give discussants and participants an opportunity to discuss key findings and extract implications for higher education reform while also looking at the broader linkages with governance and skills for employability and productivity reforms.