Book review: as western universities set up campuses in China and UAE, the fight to attract the brightest and best continues

In The Great Brain Race, Ben Wildavsky presents an account of how international competition for the brightest minds is transforming the world of higher education. Wildavsky shows that as international universities strive to become world-class, the new global education marketplace is providing more opportunities to more people than ever before. Drawing on extensive reporting in China, India, the United States, Europe, and the Middle East, the book considers the rapid spread of branch campuses, the growth of for-profit universities, and the controversial expansion of college rankings. Matthew Partridge discovers that the author has missed some key initiatives, however. The Great Brain Race: How Global Universities are Reshaping the World. By Ben Wildavsky. Princeton University Press. April 2010.