Managing higher education in developing countries – navigating challenges, innovations and strategic opportunities

Higher education institutions (HEIs) in developing countries face distinct institutional challenges compared to their counterparts in more developed regions (Maringe and Hinson, 2020; Olaleye et al., 2024). Universities in emerging economies frequently contend with limited financial resources, infrastructural deficits, intricate governance structures and escalating expectations to enhance teaching quality and student learning experiences (Nguyen and Mogaji, 2022; Wangenge-Ouma and Kupe, 2022). Despite these significant obstacles, these universities persistently strive to provide quality education, foster local talent and play critical roles in the socioeconomic development of their nations.The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly exacerbated these pre-existing pressures, intensified institutional vulnerabilities and disrupted conventional approaches to higher education management (Chasi, 2022). The sudden shift to digital and hybrid learning models exposed deep inequities, such as unequal access to technology, inadequate digital infrastructure and varying levels of faculty preparedness (Namboodiri, 2022; Qazi et al., 2024). These disruptions highlighted the necessity of rethinking educational delivery, institutional strategy and student engagement to accommodate new realities effectively.Historically, scholarship on higher education management has primarily focused on universities within developed economies, where conditions differ markedly from the realities encountered in developing countries (Oplatka and Hemsley-Brown, 2021; Hemsley-Brown and Oplatka, 2006; Hou et al., 2021). Consequently, critical insights explicitly addressing the unique complexities and management issues faced by institutions in emerging economies remain relatively sparse (Maringe and Hinson, 2020; Jain et al., 2024). Recognizing this gap, this special issue deliberately shifts the scholarly focus towards exploring the nuanced realities, specific managerial dilemmas, and strategic possibilities within these less-explored contexts.The articles in this special issue offer fresh theoretical perspectives, robust empirical findings and practical solutions specifically designed to address the management challenges confronting HEIs in developing countries. Rather than transplanting frameworks from developed contexts, the contributions presented here are carefully tailored and contextually grounded, ensuring relevance for university managers, administrators, policymakers and other stakeholders within emerging economies. Ultimately, this special issue aims to enrich our understanding of higher education management and equip institutions with strategic tools and actionable insights for navigating their distinctive and evolving educational landscapes.