Welcome to today’s edition of the Reconcile Journal newsletter. I’m so glad you’re here.
Do you think the knowledge created in universities aims to be a public good?
And if knowledge is meant to serve the public good, why does so much of it feel out of reach?
Whilst doing the research for a paper I was co-authoring with a colleague over the summer (still in the works), I came across a paper questioning the role of the university in today’s professional landscape. Little did I know, it would be one of the motivations for starting what I am now calling The Reconcile Journal.
The paper calls for a move beyond old-school narrow definitions, where universities simply contribute to economic and employability outcomes. Economists define ‘public good’ as non-excludable, non-rivalrous goods like air, though it’s more commonly considered as things beneficial to society, like healthcare or education.
The university, being the business that it is, seems set up for either private gain (us accessing better earnings post-degree) or national economic growth through innovation, higher student fees, etc, rather than broader societal benefit.
Herein lies my problem.
The author argues that when we view knowledge purely as a tool for productivity, we lose sight of its social purpose and the power it has to enhance communities, human development, equity, and collective wellbeing.
Reconcile Journal exists because knowledge (particularly academic research) feels way too removed from the people and communities it’s meant to serve. By translating and opening up research, we’re reclaiming knowledge as a public good: something that belongs to everyone, not just to those within institutions or with access to academic privilege.
Because guess what? Knowledge is not only valuable when it produces profit, but when it nurtures justice, understanding, imagination and care.
(that’s what we’ll be trying to do here)
As always, please do message back with thoughts, reflections, or any of your own references that speak to the same moral dilemma. Access the full research digest on our website, as it is a deep dive into the ‘public good’ paper. There are many translatable gems there, and the discussions I had with those of you who saw the preview post prove that there is a lot to discuss.
until next time,
Amberlee from Reconcile Journal
