Public and private institutions of higher education in Latin America play a role in society as they promote innovation, improve the level of development, and affect economic growth, positively impacting the well-being of citizens. However, changes in society have not permeated the university to the same degree, which has been revealed by the incursion of the COVID-19 pandemic in the field of higher education, significantly affecting the becoming of the current academic year and in the approach, in many cases hasty, for the implementation of online education in order to respond to the needs of higher education.
The development of this study arises, therefore, in a situation that allows, not only to analyze the economic and social impacts linked to the traditional challenges identified between society and the university, but also the adoption of recommendations in circumstances that facilitate the transition and incorporation of technology, including new forms of scientific research with emerging technologies, or the creation and consolidation of technology parks or centers to optimize the link between the public and private sectors.
In order to assess the impact described, we start from a sample of 12 universities, from 6 countries, which are in different economic contexts. For each of them, an individual analysis is carried out, as well as a comparative analysis of the group of universities, which allows quantifying the economic impact of each institution at three levels: direct impact (which includes the generation of turnover, GDP and employment as a direct consequence of the activity carried out by the university and its investments), the indirect impact (derived from the intersectoral relationships that are generated as a result of the flows of goods and services required by the companies generating direct impact in order to develop their activity) and the induced impact (The increase in production derived from the part of labor income, generated directly and indirectly, that is used for the consumption of goods and services).
Likewise, through the application of qualitative methodology, aspects related to the impacts derived from the generation of knowledge through research, scientific production and applied research, the transfer of knowledge to society, the role of knowledge are identified. institutions such as opinion-generating centers, actions for the training in values of their graduates and, finally, the role of institutions to train a qualified and qualified citizenry to nurture the social and productive fabric of their environment.