This paper aims to determine the key themes addressed in sustainability reporting in higher education institutions (HEIs), focusing on papers indexed in the Scopus database until October 2024. The number of papers selected was fewer than the number of articles addressing sustainability reporting in corporate settings. We present the findings of this search by providing some metrics and an analysis of the selected texts through the construction of ten categories and 26 subcategories. Our study differs from previous works by providing an analysis of the content of some of the reviewed articles.
Corporate sustainability evolved in line with the advancement of the concept of sustainable development; thus, it is constituted as a strategy to respond to social and environmental problems. In this context, universities are understood as complex organizations, positioned as a key mechanism for delivering the sustainable development of society. This research aimed to analyze whether the strategic elements of Chilean state universities integrate components of sustainable development. For this purpose, qualitative research was undertaken through a documentary analysis of the strategic plans of the 18 Chilean state universities, focusing analysis on their strategic elements: their mission, vision and strategic institutional objectives. The results revealed that all universities mention at least one concept associated with one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in their strategic guidelines. They mainly focused on ‘Quality Education’ (SDG 4) and ‘Build resilient infrastructure, promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation’ (SDG 9). Also, the results allow us to visualize how universities address corporate sustainability issues through their strategic plans.
The aim of this study is to analyse the likelihood of agricultural workers in rural areas converting to the tourism sector. Chile is used as a case study, drawing on the CASEN survey of 2017 to analyse differences between the northern, central, and southern regions of the country and construct a satellite account of tourism. A matching process was carried out within the data, and the estimation of a logit model was done to assess the probability of labour reconversion. The results indicate that an agricultural worker has a 12.8% probability of retraining. However, differences emerged when demographic characteristics were analysed; specifically, people with post-secondary education and women have a higher probability of retraining. These and other sociodemographic characteristics are important to explain potential labour reconversion towards tourism in rural areas, although differences arose between areas of the country. Therefore, homogeneous public policies that do not consider the specific characteristics of the territories within a country will be ineffective.
El propósito de este artículo es analizar si los indicadores que forman parte de los rankings universitarios mundiales miden el desempeño de las universidades. La necesidad de evaluar el desempeño de las universidades junto a la falta de instrumentos estandarizados ha posicionado a los rankings como una medida de los niveles de eficiencia de las universidades, asunto que es razonable poner en duda. Este trabajo analiza nueve rankings mundiales y los 119 indicadores que están presentes en ellos. Los resultados indican que solo el 10,1 % de los indicadores cumple con las características atribuidas a la medición del desempeño, y teniendo en cuenta su peso relativo, estos indicadores tienen una importancia del 7,1 %. A su vez, cinco rankings no tienen ningún indicador que registre la definición de desempeño. Otro hallazgo es la existencia de asociación entre el tipo de indicadores y las dimensiones misionales de una universidad. Estos resultados permiten concluir lo inapropiado que es considerar los rankings universitarios como una adecuada forma de medición del desempeño de las universidades, ya que no evalúan la eficiencia en el logro de los objetivos misionales ni ponderan adecuadamente dimensiones del desempeño.
This study explores how the leadership of Chilean state universities integrates sustainability into their strategic decision-making processes. Employing a qualitative research approach using semi-structured interviews conducted across nine institutions, it analyzes the perspectives of rectors (equivalent to university presidents in Chilean higher education), vice-rectors, and members of university governing bodies. The findings reveal that although sustainability is present in institutional discourse, its actual implementation remains limited, fragmented, and subordinated to financial imperatives. Contextual constraints, adaptive rationalities, and limited stakeholder engagement shape strategic decisions. Furthermore, institutions often employ sustainability as a rhetorical or compliance-driven narrative rather than as a transformative governance principle. This study frames these findings through stakeholder theory, organizational sustainability, strategic rationality, and information governance. It concludes that embedding sustainability meaningfully in university governance requires institutional transformation—moving beyond symbolic commitments towards inclusive, evidence-driven, and participatory decision-making practices.
28 June 2019 in Economía Agraria y Recursos Naturales
The development of tourism can help to diversify the productive matrix and reduce rural depopulation. This study analyzes the possibility of agricultural worker participation in the tourism sector in rural areas of Chilean Patagonia. Based on the 2017 CASEN survey, data matching and estimation of logit model are conducted to evaluate the probability of agricultural worker reconversion. The results indicate that the proportion of agricultural workers who can move to tourism is low. However, women and individuals with post-secondary education are more likely to be reconverted.