Chapter Three 3 Higher Education Development in Cambodia: Implications for the Asean Economic Community

The rise of the knowledge-based economy has made higher education become even more crucial as an engine for economic growth in a global and regional context. This article aims to assess the performance of higher education institutions (HEIs) in Cambodia in preparing their graduates for the competitive labour market in the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). The triple helix model for innovation is used as a guiding tool for analysis projecting the entrepreneurial university as an outcome of the collaboration of the higher education sector with government and industry. Providing a comparative framework that benchmarks the Cambodian case against best practices across Southeast Asia, this study shows that the institutional collaboration in the Cambodian higher education sector has remained underdeveloped, posing great challenges to Cambodian HEIs in preparing their graduates for the competitive regional labour market. The paper concludes with implications for the AEC and actions to be considered by Cambodian HEIs in preparation for the economic integration.