Factors Influencing Research Community Engagement in Social Science Departments of Indian Universities: A Comparative Study of Public and Private Institutions

Abstract

While Indian institutions are focused on translating academic research into an out-of-campus effort, this paper asks why engagement varies by social science department within an Indian university. This study focuses on faculty knowledge of and behaviour regarding research community engagement among 312 respondents at 22 public and private universities. It identifies the major contributors and inhibitors of research community engagement. Structural equation modelling revealed institutional support (=0.34, p<0.001) and faculty know-how (=0.29, p<0.001) as key drivers and red tape and funding squeeze (=-0.21, p<0.01) as important obstacles. While public universities exhibit comparatively higher institutional support than private ones, they face significant bureaucratic challenges, whereas private universities face comparatively lower resource constraints but a less effective administrative structure. Thus, this study casts doubt on one-size-fits-all approaches and suggests more targeted actions to facilitate research that bridges academia and the public.