South America

Argentina’s emboldened president Javier Milei declared in Davos that ‘the rebirth of the ideas of liberty’ in the Americas was spreading globally. With Chilean voters taking a similarly hard-right turn and Brazilians threatening to do likewise, how bad might it get for universities? Helen Packer reports

Our symposium illustrates the contribution that students outside the scientific mainstream could make if given the chance, says Iván Moya

Collapse of higher education system under Maduro unlikely to be reversed without a complete change in leadership, warn experts

Incoming president pledges to slash government spending but remains quiet on other higher education issues

South American giant holds on to number one spot and continues to dominate table, despite concerns over Bolsonaro’s legacy

Rigid structures need to be loosened to address the devaluation of degrees and to embrace AI and microcredentials, says Carlos Olivares

Donald Trump’s assaults on US science and universities in many ways mirror those previously enacted in Brazil by Jair Bolsonaro. Two years on from the latter’s election defeat, Patrick Jack assesses what the current state of Brazilian science says about how US institutions might fare post-Trump

Good lobbying skills coupled with ‘academic backbone’ the key to success in both sectors, according to leader of Colombia’s University of la Costa

Universities are at a crossroads and must act decisively to become sites of social transformation, says first black woman to lead a university in Brazil

Academics must come out from ‘behind our walls and our labs’ and take the lead on sustainability issues, conference hears

Better education-industry links can ensure continent capitalises on new technologies in a way it didn’t before, says World Bank economist

Universities can learn from the sustainable use of textiles in South America, where traditional knowledge is integrated with innovation to create a positive impact, says Jade McLachlan