sus ainabili y
A icle
D i e s o Uni e si ies’ Con ibu ion o he Sus ainable
De elopmen Goals: An Analysis o Spanish
Public Uni e si ies
Na i idad Blasco , Isabel B usca * and Ma ga i a Lab ado


Ci a ion: Blasco, N.; B usca, I.;
Lab ado , M. D i e s o Uni e si ies’
Con ibu ion o he Sus ainable
De elopmen Goals: An Analysis o
Spanish Public Uni e si ies.
Sus ainabili y 2021,13, 89.
h ps://dx.doi.o g/10.3390/su13010089
Recei ed: 28 No embe 2020
Accep ed: 21 Decembe 2020
Published: 23 Decembe 2020
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Facul y o Economics and Business, Uni e si y o Za agoza, G an Vía, 2, 50005 Za agoza, Spain;
nblasco@uniza .es (N.B.); lab ado @uniza .es (M.L.)
*Co espondence: ib usca@uniza .es
Abs ac :
Uni e si ies ha e a c i ical ole in achie ing he Sus ainable De elopmen Goals (SDGs),
bo h o implemen ing ac i e policies and o encou aging o he ac o s o pa icipa e. This equi es
ha ing he skills and mind-se s o con ibu e o hese challenges. The ele ance and he commi men
o uni e si ies o sus ainabili y has led o he inclusion o SDGs in he s a egies and agendas o
hese ins i u ions. This equi es he in ol emen o all he ac o s and some s uc u al and cul u al
changes ha pu SDGs a he co e o he go e nance and managemen o he uni e si y, emb acing
all he s akeholde s. Va ious in e nal and ex e nal ac o s may in luence he impac and success o
he policies and ac i i ies aiming a achie ing he SDGs, bo h om an o e all pe spec i e and o
indi idual SDGs. This pape assesses he in luence o some in e nal ac o s, such as he p esence o
uni e si ies on he in e ne , he le el o in e na ionaliza ion o he a ailabili y o inancial esou ces.
Th ough bo h eg ession analyses and he Gephi me hod, ou esul s con i m he impo ance o he
p esence on he in e ne , he in e na ionaliza ion o he uni e si y and he inancial esou ces o
esea ch and in as uc u e ecei ed om egional go e nmen s o Spanish public uni e si ies o
make a g ea e con ibu ion o SDGs.
Keywo ds:
SDGs; sus ainable de elopmen goals; sus ainabili y; uni e si ies; highe educa ion
ins i u ions; in e ne p esence; uni e si y pe o mance
1. In oduc ion
Sus ainable de elopmen has become a global poli ical and social issue in he las
decades. The concep was de ined by he Wo ld Commission on En i onmen and De-
elopmen as “de elopmen ha mee s he needs o he p esen wi hou comp omising
he abili y o u u e gene a ions o mee hei own needs” [
1
], in an a emp o balance
he economic and en i onmen al conce ns o achie e human well-being. I is used as an
umb ella concep [
2
] and has been ela ed, since i s o igin, o he concep o sus ainabili y,
and some imes e en used as a synonym. Ne e heless, he e is a s eam o li e a u e which
a gues ha he wo concep s a e di e en [
2
,
3
]. Fo example, o Sa o i e al. [
2
] (p. 2),
“sus ainable de elopmen is he goal o be achie ed and sus ainabili y is he p ocess o
achie e sus ainable de elopmen ”. In any case, wha does exis is he consensus ha
Sus ainable De elopmen co e s economic, social and en i onmen al sus ainabili y and
in ol es mul iple s akeholde s [
4
], such as go e nmen s, manage s o public and p i a e
en i ies o ci izens, who should ake his in o accoun in hei decision making p ocess.
Uni e si ies a e leade s in educa ion, esea ch and inno a ion, and he e o e ha e a
key ole in he social change and de elopmen o socie ies and economies. As he li e a u e
poin s ou [
5
,
6
], hei in ol emen in global sus ainable de elopmen is a co ne s one
o he s a egy o uni e si ies in ela ion o hei eaching, esea ch and hi d-mission
ac i i ies [7–9].
In 2015 he Uni ed Na ions Gene al Assembly app o ed he 2030 Agenda o Sus ain-
able De elopmen as a con inua ion o he Millennium De elopmen Goals (MDGs). The
Sus ainabili y 2021,13, 89. h ps://dx.doi.o g/10.3390/su13010089 h ps://www.mdpi.com/jou nal/sus ainabili y
Sus ainabili y 2021,13, 89 2 o 19
Agenda con ains 17 Sus ainable De elopmen Goals (SDGs), o p omo e he commi men
o he global communi y o “achie ing sus ainable de elopmen in i s h ee dimensions—
Economic, social and en i onmen al—in a balanced and in eg a ed manne ” [
10
]. The
SDGs a e b oken down in o 169 a ge s, aiming a a holis ic app oach o achie ing sus ain-
able de elopmen o all, including ending po e y and hunge , achie ing gende equali y
and he ealiza ion o human igh s wo ld-wide, as well as ensu ing he p o ec ion o he
plane and i s na u al esou ces. They in ol e a complex ange o social, economic and
en i onmen al challenges, ha equi es he commi men o all ac o s owa d he ans o -
ma ion o socie ies and economies. Thei implemen a ion is a wo ldwide challenge o all
ypes o o ganiza ions, public and p i a e, a challenge made e en mo e demanding by he
Co id pandemic du ing he las yea .
Uni e si ies ha e a c i ical ole in achie ing he SDGs [
11
] bu also in p omo ing hem
wi hin hei sphe e o in luence [
12
]. Thei esponsibili ies and leade ship in educa ion,
esea ch and inno a ion mean ha hey ha e a key ole in helping socie y add ess hese
challenges. In pa icula , SDG 4 (Ensu e inclusi e and equi able quali y educa ion and
p omo e li elong lea ning oppo uni ies o all) equi es ac i e ac ion by uni e si ies,
as mos o i s a ge s a e di ec ly ela ed o lea ning and eaching. Ne e heless, he
con ibu ion o uni e si ies mus be made om an in eg a ed pe spec i e, ha co e s all
he SDGs [
13
]. They ha e a double ole, in implemen ing ac i e policies o de eloping
SDGs h ough all hei ac i i ies and in p omo ing awa eness among o he ac o s, mainly
s uden s, o hei ole in achie ing he SDGs and acqui ing he skills and mind-se s needed
o con ibu e o hese challenges. The SDGs equi e he pa icipa ion o e e y ci izen, and
hey need he skills, a i udes and alues ha enable hei pa icipa ion [14].
Schola s ha e included SDGs in hei esea ch agendas om di e en pe spec i es,
such as in es iga ing how uni e si ies a e educa ing s uden s o de eloping SDGs [
15
],
how hey include he SDGs in he lea ning objec i es o p og ams and syllabuses o
di e en a eas [
16
], and how esea ch ocused on sus ainabili y and SDGs is ca ied ou in
uni e si ies [17].
The e is also a s eam o li e a u e ha deals wi h he challenges and oppo uni ies o
uni e si ies o implemen ing he SDGs [
9
]. Howe e , he e is no much li e a u e abou
how uni e si ies a e pe o ming in e ms o achie ing SDGs om a global pe spec i e.
Al hough an in eg a ed pe spec i e o he implemen a ion o SDGs is equi ed, as we
ha e men ioned be o e, i is expec ed ha he con ibu ion o uni e si ies will ocus
pa icula ly on SDG 4-Quali y Educa ion, SDG 5-Gende Equali y, SDG 3-Good Heal h and
Well-being, and SDG 17-Pa ne ships, as he la e is aimed a s eng hening he means o
implemen a ion and e i alizing he global pa ne ship o sus ainable de elopmen .
This pape con ibu es o he li e a u e abou he implemen a ion o SDGs in uni e si-
ies and ies o assess which ac o s can in luence hei p og ess om an indi idual and
mic oeconomic pe spec i e, as well as o wha ex en common pa e ns can be iden i ied in
he con ibu ion o uni e si ies o SDGs. As a as we know, his is he i s pape s udying
he con ibu ion o SDGs in Spanish uni e si ies om a quan i a i e pe spec i e. Fi s ly,
he pape analyzes he impac o h ee a eas on he pe o mance o SDGs in uni e si ies: he
inancial esou ces a ailable o he uni e si ies, he in e na ionaliza ion o he uni e si ies,
and he p esence o uni e si ies on he in e ne . We analyze how hese ac o s can ac as
d i e s o p og ess in achie ing SDGs. Secondly, he pape examines how hese ac o s
in luence he pe o mance o uni e si ies in ela ion o some speci ic SDGs abou which
hese ins i u ions epo mo e equen ly. Finally, he pape p esen s a clus e o uni e si ies
in o de o assess he simila i ies and di e ences in hei con ibu ions o SDGs wi h espec
o hese d i ing ac o s.
The pape uses he impac anking de eloped by he Times Highe Educa ion Wo ld
Uni e si y Rankings [
18
] o measu e he p og ess o uni e si ies in achie ing he SDGs.
Fu he mo e, he pape also analyzes which SDGs a e mo e ele an and ecei e a s onge
commi men om Spanish uni e si ies. Academic ankings a e a ool o compa ing
uni e si ies [
19
] and se e as an incen i e o imp o e hei managemen and hei image.
Sus ainabili y 2021,13, 89 3 o 19
The selec ion o he uni e si ies o his s udy is based on he a ailabili y o in o ma ion
o he pu pose o compa abili y, which leads o some limi a ions. The eason o selec ing
his uni e si y anking is ha i o e s disagg ega ed in o ma ion abou he con ibu ion o
uni e si ies o he 17 SDGs, which can p o ide e idence o which SDGs a e mo e ele an
o hese ins i u ions and how uni e si ies a e con ibu ing o hem. The pape is ini ially
ocused on he 32 Spanish uni e si ies included in he anking.
A wide ange o a iables was ini ially conside ed o he analysis o in e nal ac o s
ha could d i e he achie emen o SDGs in uni e si ies: di e en measu es o hei p es-
ence on he web dealing wi h he ac i i y and isibili y o he ins i u ions, in o ma ion on
he ankings cons uc ed by he BBVA Founda ion and he Valencian Ins i u e o Economic
Resea ch (IVIE) [
20
] o assess he pe o mance o he Spanish uni e si y sys em in eaching
and esea ch and inno a ion, and a ious s a is ics ela ing o labo in eg a ion, in e na-
ional s uden s, g an s and economic indica o s published by he Minis y o Educa ion
(SIIU) [
21
]. Ne e heless, a e a p elimina y eg ession analysis, i was decided o ocus
on hose a iables ha could be o in e es because o hei signi icance.
The esul s show ha he p o ision o ex e nal inancial esou ces o esea ch and
in as uc u e has a posi i e impac on uni e si y pe o mance in e ms o SDGs, as well as
he le el o in e na ionaliza ion (speci ically, in e na ional a ac i eness) and he p esence
o he uni e si ies on he in e ne . Howe e , he a io o o al inancial esou ces pe s uden
is no a d i ing indica o o a uni e si y’s pe o mance. Fu he mo e, he esul s e eal
ha SDG 3. Good Heal h and Well-being, SDG 4. Quali y Educa ion, SDG 5. Gende
Equali y and SDG 17. Pa ne ships o he goals a e ecei ing he g ea es in e es om
uni e si ies and ha hese goals a e closely ela ed o he abo e-men ioned d i ing ac o s.
The s udy con ibu es o he li e a u e abou SDGs in uni e si ies by means o a p ac ical
applica ion in Spanish uni e si ies. The esul s should be o in e es o uni e si y manage s
and s akeholde s and can se e o encou age uni e si ies o inc ease hei p og ess in
achie ing SDGs and o show wha policies mus be implemen ed in o de o con ibu e o
such p og ess. They can also be pa icula ly use ul o policy make s and egula o s when
e alua ing he bene i s o inancial suppo o e ed o uni e si ies o esea ch and capi al
expendi u es.
The pape is s uc u ed as ollows. The nex sec ion p esen s a syn hesis o p e ious
esea ch on SDGs in uni e si ies and examines he challenges acing hei implemen a ion
as well as he ac o s ha can ha e a po en ial e ec on hei achie emen . Sec ion 3
desc ibes he da a base and he me hodology used. Sec ion 4con ains he analysis o
he esul s and he discussion. The las sec ion d aws some conclusions, highligh ing he
con ibu ions o he esea ch, he way o wa d and he limi a ions.
2. The Con ibu ion o Uni e si ies o SDGs: Li e a u e Re iew
Uni e si ies ha e an impo an ole in suppo ing he 2030 Agenda o Sus ainable
De elopmen and con ibu ing o he achie emen o he SDGs [
22
]. Th ough hei eaching,
esea ch and hi d mission hey can in ol e o he ac o s in collabo a ing in he success o
he 2030 Agenda, equipping hem wi h he skills and capabili ies equi ed o pa icipa e in
wo king o achie e he SDGs (Sus ainable De elopmen Solu ions Ne wo k [23]). In hei
eaching ole, uni e si ies can encou age awa eness among s uden s o he ele ance o
he SDGs and how hey can con ibu e o hei achie emen [
24
,
25
]. Resea ch can also be
bene icial om wo pe spec i es: analyzing he s a e o he a in he SDGs om di e en
iewpoin s and p omo ing inno a ion and echnologies ha con ibu e o hese goals. In
hei hi d mission, uni e si ies ha e he oppo uni y o in ol e o he ins i u ions and
businesses in he challenge o achie ing he SDGs as well as ans e ing o o he economic
a eas he inno a ion and ad ances equi ed o mee his challenge. Finally, he managemen
o uni e si ies mus also be in ol ed in he achie emen o he goals, no only o p omo e
hem bu also o adop ac i e policies owa d he SDGs om he economic, social and
en i onmen al pe spec i es.
Sus ainabili y 2021,13, 89 4 o 19
2.1. Measu ing and Repo ing he Con ibu ion o Uni e si ies o SDGs
Highe educa ion ins i u ions, and pa icula ly uni e si ies, ha e conside ed sus ain-
abili y as a co e objec i e o managemen , and in ecen yea s hey ha e included he
SDG amewo k as a means o achie e a mo e sus ainable wo ld. The li e a u e con ains
many wo ks ocused on measu ing and epo ing sus ainabili y in uni e si ies [
5
,
26
–
28
],
e idencing ha he e is s ill some oom o imp o emen . The e a e also many p oposals
o he assessmen o sus ainabili y in uni e si ies [
28
], bu in p ac ice uni e si ies ha e
no in eg a ed hese in o hei s a egies and managemen [
7
]. Va ious s akeholde s a e
demanding ha accoun abili y should be ex ended o his a ea in uni e si ies, as well as in
many o he public en i ies.
Wi hin his amewo k, SDGs a e becoming pa o he sus ainabili y s a egies o uni-
e si ies, and in e es in hei con ibu ion has inc eased. Mos uni e si ies ha e included
hem in hei agenda. Howe e , no so much e o has been pu in o he measu emen and
epo ing o he con ibu ion o uni e si ies o he SDGs.
This shows ha he measu emen o he con ibu ion o uni e si ies o SDGs is a
wo ldwide challenge. The p oblem is how o measu e his con ibu ion when he e is no
enough ex e nal in o ma ion a ailable. This is because i is no manda o y o uni e si ies
o disclose hei con ibu ion owa d SDGs, bu indi idual ini ia i es a e welcomed in
he li e a u e and esea ch, such as hose p esen ed by Mo i Junio e al. [
9
] in he Royal
Melbou ne Ins i u e o Technology Uni e si y.
This also means ha i is di icul o compa e he con ibu ion o uni e si ies in his
ield, gi en ha each uni e si y can use di e en ways o measu ing and analyzing he
impac o he ini ia i es implemen ed and hei ou comes.
An op ion ha can help o e come hese di icul ies is he c ea ion o ankings. In he
sus ainabili y a ea, an example is he g een anking o uni e si ies c ea ed by Uni e si as
Indonesia (UI G eenMe ic Wo ld Uni e si y Ranking [
29
]) and based on an online su ey
abou he policies and p ac ices o sus ainabili y in uni e si ies. E en i he anking has
some limi a ions [
30
], i can ac as an incen i e o uni e si ies o imp o e sus ainabili y, a
s imulus o c ea e “sus ainable u u es” [31].
In he ield o SDG con ibu ions, he e is also an ini ia i e o elabo a e a anking
based on he pe o mance o uni e si ies in hei commi men . The anking is compiled by
Times Highe Educa ion [
18
] and has been welcomed by esea che s, gi en ha i o e s
in o ma ion abou he con ibu ions o uni e si ies o he SDGs and ha i s ocus is on he
impac and he ou comes, p o iding quan i a i e indica o s o each SDG and a global
sco e. Ano he po en ial bene i is ha i can mo i a e and d i e ini ia i es ha suppo
sus ainable de elopmen .
Schola s and esea che s a e using he anking o measu e he pe o mance o uni e -
si ies in e ms o he SDGs. Fo example, Pe o i´c and Koso [
14
] analyze he e iciency o
public expendi u e o uni e si ies in achie ing SDGs, making use o he Uni e si y Impac
Rankings. Th ough Da a En elopmen Analysis (DEA), hei esul s show ha only h ee
o ou coun ies we e ully e icien . A a mic o le el, only abou 16 pe cen o uni e si ies
we e e icien . Thei pe o mance could be much imp o ed, wi hou inc easing he inpu s,
especially in e ms o suppo ing SDGs h ough he coope a ion wi h o he coun ies, he
p omo ion o bes p ac ices and he publica ion o da a in coope a ion wi h o eign au ho s.
Rega ding he epo ing on policies and p ac ices ha suppo he implemen a ion o
he SDGs, he e a e no speci ic ini ia i es and, wi h some excep ions [
25
], uni e si ies do no
measu e and epo speci ically abou hei con ibu ions o SDGs. A simila si ua ion has
been ound o s ock ma ke companies by Mo i e al. [
32
]. A he momen , uni e si ies, as
well as o he ins i u ions and p i a e companies, use hei sus ainabili y epo o accoun
o hei policies owa d he SDGs, bu i is impo an ha he epo is adap ed o his end,
and o da e he e ha e no been many ad ances o ini ia i es in his a ea.
Sus ainabili y 2021,13, 89 5 o 19
2.2. The In luence o In e nal and Ex e nal Fac o s on he P og ess and Con ibu ion o SDGs
The implemen a ion o SDGs equi es some s uc u al and o ganiza ional changes
ha can acili a e he coope a ion o s akeholde s in his ield [
33
], g ouped by Kang and
Xu [
34
] a ound ou elemen s: alue, s a egy, pa ne ship and anspa ency. A he same
ime, he e a e some ac o s ha can ha e an impac on he p og ess o a uni e si y in
implemen ing SDGs. Fi s o all, i is necessa y ha s akeholde s pa icipa e in he p ocess
o change, show ha hey see ha he adop ion o SDGs can ha e bene i s no only o
he whole communi y bu also o hemsel es, and coope a e in he implemen a ion o
s uc u al changes. Secondly, in o de o make all hese changes, inancial esou ces a e
necessa y o unding he p ocess, as well as human esou ces. A commonly iden i ied
ba ie o hese changes is he adi ional cul u e o s a , including manage s, eache s
and s uden s, who a e o en esis an o change, so ha hose uni e si ies ha ha e mo e
open-minded s a will ha e a highe p obabili y o adap ing o he new equi emen s o
include SDGs in hei s a egic plans. Leade ship has been also iden i ied as a c i ical ac o
in he li e a u e [22,33].
E en hough he li e a u e is sca ce in his ield, we can highligh some s udies ha
ha e analyzed how hese ac o s can ope a e in p ac ice. Pu cell e al. [
22
] in es iga e
he case o h ee uni e si ies, aiming a showing how s a egizing sus ainabili y owa d
deli e ing he SDGs in a uni e si y se ing can be success ul. The au ho s conclude ha i
is essen ial ha uni e si ies use he SDG amewo k as a means o achie e sus ainabili y
in hei s a egic agenda i hey wan o imp o e hei con ibu ion. O he ac o s ha
seem ele an a e leade ship a all le els, including by s uden s, and pa ne ships wi hin
and be ween uni e si ies. The esul s show ha ne wo ks be ween uni e si ies accele a e
he deli e y o he SDGs. Kö gen e al. [
17
] also show he ele ance o inc easing he
collabo a ion be ween uni e si ies o suppo poli ical decisions o SDG achie emen .
The au ho s also highligh he ele ance o inancial incen i e s uc u es ha suppo he
collabo a ion among uni e si ies.
Based on he p e ious li e a u e abou expe iences o SDGs in uni e si ies [
9
,
14
,
17
,
22
]
and sus ainabili y [
26
–
28
], h ee ac o s ha e been selec ed in o de o analyze hei impac
on he con ibu ion o uni e si ies o SDGs. The a ionale o each ac o is explained below,
as well as he co esponding hypo hesis.
The P esence o uni e si ies on he in e ne . All highe educa ion ins i u ions ha e made
signi ican e o s o inc ease hei p esence and isibili y on he in e ne , acknowledging
ha his p o ides a numbe o indispu able ad an ages [
35
]. In he ield o SDGs, he
p esence o uni e si ies on he in e ne may ha e se e al ad an ages, such as accoun -
abili y and anspa ency [
36
] and mo e usable in o ma ion being made a ailable o mo e
s uden s, eache s and o he ac o s [
37
]. This, in u n, p o ides g ea e sa is ac ion o he
s akeholde s and ul ima ely bene i s o he quali y o educa ion and li e. Fu he mo e, he
in e ne can also be used as a ool o p omo ing SDGs and implemen ing e ec i e policies
o achie e hem. Based on his idea, we de ine he ollowing hypo hesis:
Hypo hesis 1.
Uni e si ies wi h a highe p esence on he in e ne make a g ea e con ibu ion
o SDGs.
The in e na ionaliza ion o he uni e si y. In e na ionaliza ion wi hin uni e si ies is
pa icula ly in demand nowadays, and uni e si ies a e awa e o i s ele ance on he oad
o imp o ing and p omo ing hei image [
38
]. A he same ime, in e na ionaliza ion
equi es s uc u al and cul u al adap a ions in o de o make he uni e si y mo e isible
and a ac i e o o eign s uden s [
35
]. Those uni e si ies which a e mo e a ac i e o
in e na ional s uden s may ha e de eloped a mo e ad anced s uc u al o ganiza ion and
g ea e cul u al p og ess in o de o incen i ize s uden s om o he coun ies o come
o he uni e si y, and his can ha e a po en ial posi i e impac on sus ainabili y [
39
] and
he e o e on he con ibu ion o he SDGs o he uni e si y.

Sus ainabili y 2021,13, 89 6 o 19
Fu he mo e, in e na ionaliza ion shows he Uni e si y’s ne wo ks wi h o he uni-
e si ies and, acco ding o Pu cell e al. [
22
] o Kö gen e al. [
17
], among o he s, hese
ela ionships may con ibu e o he de elopmen o he SDGs. The e o e, we ha e es ab-
lished he ollowing hypo hesis:
Hypo hesis 2.
Uni e si ies wi h a highe le el o in e na ionaliza ion make a g ea e con ibu ion
o SDGs.
The inancial esou ces a ailable o he uni e si y. The implemen a ion o policies and
ac i i ies o achie e he SDGs equi es he use o inancial esou ces [
23
] o inance bo h
cu en ac i i ies and capi al expendi u es, including esea ch expendi u e. The uni e si ies
ha ha e mo e inancial esou ces will ha e mo e op ions o o ganize ac i i ies and de ine
s a egies ha suppo he 2030 Agenda, such as lea ning and educa ion cou ses in he SDGs
o esea ch ac i i ies ha in oduce inno a ion and echnologies ha can be success ul o
achie ing he SDGs. Taking his in o accoun , we de ine wo hypo heses ela ed wi h he
inancial esou ces a ailable o he uni e si y:
On he one hand, he o al e enues o he uni e si y pe s uden se e o inance
all he ope a ing cos s and also he in as uc u e, g an s o s uden s o o he ac i i ies.
I would appea ha hose en i ies wi h highe e enues pe s uden will be mo e likely
o pe o m be e in e ms o SDGs. Based on his assump ion, we de ine he ollowing
hypo hesis o be es ed:
Hypo hesis 3.
Uni e si ies wi h highe e enues pe s uden make a g ea e con ibu ion o SDGs.
On he o he hand, he inancial esou ces ecei ed om capi al ans e s should
inance he esea ch and capi al expendi u es o he uni e si y. In his espec , as he public
uni e si ies in Spain depend on egional go e nmen s, hese go e nmen s should co e he
g ea e pa o he capi al expendi u es o gi e he uni e si y enough inancial lexibili y o
ca y ou his ype o ac i i y. The e o e, uni e si ies ha ecei e mo e capi al ans e s
o esea ch and capi al expendi u es will also ha e mo e inancial esou ces o in es in
inno a ion and esea ch, as well as in in as uc u e, wi h a posi i e e ec on SDGs. The
ou h hypo hesis is de ined as ollows:
Hypo hesis 4.
Uni e si ies ha ecei e mo e capi al ans e s o esea ch and in as uc u e om
he egional go e nmen make a g ea e con ibu ion o SDGs.
3. Da a and Me hodology
3.1. Sample Selec ion, Va iables and Da a Sou ces
The sample ini ially comp ised 32 Spanish uni e si ies included in he Times Highe
Educa ion anking [
18
], 27 o which a e public and 5 p i a e. Ne e heless, some o he
da a used we e no a ailable o he p i a e uni e si ies and he e o e we ha e used only
da a om he public uni e si ies in he s a is ical analyses. In Spain, he e a e a o al
o 50 public uni e si ies. The e o e, he sample co e s 54% o he o al, which can be
conside ed ep esen a i e.
We use he Uni e si y Impac Ranking (2020 edi ion) de eloped by Times Highe
Educa ion [
18
] o measu e he con ibu ion o uni e si ies o SDGs, which was de eloped
o measu e he achie emen o he uni e si ies in deli e ing he SDGs. The anking
includes sco es o he 17 SDGs ( he 2019 edi ion included only he 11 conside ed mos
ele an o uni e si ies). Each SDG has a se ies o indica o s ha a e used o e alua e he
pe o mance o each uni e si y. The me ic is de eloped wi h he in o ma ion submi ed
by he uni e si ies, bu no all he uni e si ies submi in o ma ion o e e y SDG. Some
o hem submi in o ma ion o h ee o ou SDGs only. In ac , only se en uni e si ies
submi ed in o ma ion o all 17 SDGS. The sco e o each SDG is scaled so ha he highes
Sus ainabili y 2021,13, 89 7 o 19
sco e in each SDG in he o e all calcula ion is 100 (conside ing all he uni e si ies in he
anking and no only he Spanish ones).
This anking es ablishes wo ypes o sco es h ough da a supplied by he uni e si ies:
(a) he sco e o each indi idual SDG. This means ha di e en uni e si ies a e anked
based on a di e en se o SDGs, depending on hei ocus; (b) a uni e si y’s o e all
sco e calcula ed by weigh ing i s sco e in SDG 17 (based on he numbe o pa ne ships
commi ed o he achie emen o he SDGs) wi h i s op h ee sco es ou o he emaining
16 SDGs. The s udy analyzes bo h he o e all sco e and he sco es o he mo e ele an
SDGs in he ield, iden i ied as hose o which he uni e si ies ha e p o ided he mos
e idence.
The independen a iables
P esence o he uni e si ies on he in e ne (WP). To measu e his a iable, we use he
Webome ics ankings de eloped by he Cybe me ics labo a o y [
40
], a esea ch g oup
belonging o he Na ional Cen e o In o ma ion and Documen a ion o he Spanish
Na ional Resea ch Council. In pa icula , we used he web p esence anking, which is
compiled based on he numbe o pages o he websi e co e ed by he sea ch engines
Google, Yahoo, Li eSea ch and Exalead. As his is a posi ion anking, he lowe he
a iable is, he highe he p esence o he uni e si y on he in e ne .
In e na ionaliza ion a e (In R). This indica o shows he a ac i eness ha he uni e -
si y exe s on o eign s uden s and is calcula ed by he quo ien be ween he in e na ional
incoming s uden s and he uni e si y’s own ou going s uden s.
To al e enues pe s uden (Re S ud). The indica o has been de ined as he o al e -
enues pe s uden and ep esen s he inancial esou ces ha he uni e si y has o inanc-
ing expendi u e. The highe he inancial esou ces, he g ea e he expec ed con ibu ion
o SDGs.
Capi al ans e s o esea ch and in as uc u e (CapT ans e s). Spanish public uni e si-
ies a e inancially suppo ed by he egional go e nmen s, o which hey a e answe able.
They ecei e wo ypes o inancial esou ces om he egional go e nmen : cu en inan-
cial esou ces, o co e he cu en expendi u es, and capi al ans e s o co e esea ch and
in as uc u e expenses. In o de o s udy he ele ance o esou ces a ailable o esea ch
and in as uc u e, we conside an indica o ha e alua es o wha ex en he ans e s
ecei ed om he egional go e nmen co e capi al expendi u es, as hose uni e si ies
wi h a highe le el o esou ces will ha e g ea e possibili ies o con ibu ing o he SDGs.
Table 1summa izes he a iables and he da a sou ces o each o hem.
Table 1. Va iables included in he s udy and Da a Sou ce.
Va iable De ini ion Da a Sou ce
O e all con ibu ion o SDGs (CSDGs) Uni e si y pe o mance in deli e ing he
SDGs.
The Uni e si y Impac Ranking
de eloped by Times Highe Educa ion
(2020) [18]
P esence on he in e ne (WP)
Posi ion in he Ranking o he P esence o
he Uni e si y on he in e ne , measu ed
by he size o he main web domain o he
ins i u ion. I includes all he subdomains
ha sha e he same (cen al/main) web
domain.
Webome ics Ranking de eloped by
Cybe me ics Lab (2020) [40]
In e na ionaliza ion a e (In R) Numbe o incoming s uden s/Numbe
o ou going s uden s
In eg a ed Uni e si y In o ma ion
Sys em (SIIU) [21]
To al e enues pe s uden (Re S ud) To al Budge o he Uni e si y/To al
numbe o s uden s
Budge a y epo ing o he Uni e si ies
and In eg a ed Uni e si y In o ma ion
Sys em (SIIU) [21] published by he
Minis y o Science and Inno a ion
Capi al ans e s o esea ch and
in as uc u e (CapT ans e s)
To al amoun o ans e s o esea ch and
in as uc u e by he Regional
Go e nmen /To al capi al expendi u es
Budge a y epo ing o he Uni e si ies
o he academic yea 2020, downloaded
om he websi es o he uni e si ies.
Sus ainabili y 2021,13, 89 8 o 19
3.2. Reg ession Analysis
The es ima ion p ocess using eg ession analysis is wo old. On he one hand, o dina y
leas squa e eg ession wi h Newey–Wes he e oscedas ici y-consis en s anda d e o s and
co a iance is used in he es ima ion o he ollowing global model o e i y he in luence o
he di e en a iables on he o e all con ibu ion o he uni e si y o he SDGs:
CSDGsTo ali =α+β1℘i+β2In Ri+β3Re s udi+β4CapT ans e si+εi(1)
whe e
CSDGsTo ali
indica es he o e all sco e o uni e si y iin he Uni e si y Impac
Ranking de eloped by Times Highe Educa ion [
18
];
α
ep esen s he in e cep ;
β1,2,3,4
a e he coe icien s de e ming he signi icance o he explana o y a iables; and
εi
is he
e o e m.
Due o he p oblems o co ela ion be ween Re S ud and CapT ans e s, we ha e used
he esiduals o he a iable e enues pe s uden ha a e no explained by he capi al
ans e s a iable.
On he o he hand, indi idual o dina y leas squa e eg essions ha e been p oposed o
analyze he explana o y powe o each d i ing ac o on he mos commonly epo ed SDGs,
speci ically SDG3, SDG4, SDG5 and SDG17. The es ima o is also designed o accommoda e
he e oscedas ici y (Newey–Wes c oss-sec ion s anda d e o s and co a iance). These
indi idual eg essions ha e he ollowing gene al uni a ia e s uc u e:
CSDGji=αj+βjEFki+εi(2)
whe e
CSDGji
ep esen s he indi idual sco e o uni e si y i o he SDGj wi h j= 3, 4,
5 and 17;
αj
is he co esponding in e cep ;
βj
indica es he pa ame e es ima e o he
explana o y a iable on he pa icula SDGj; and EFki deno es he explana o y a iable
k= WP, In R, Re S ud, CapT ans e s.
3.3. Clus e ing Analysis—The Gephi Me hod
Clus e ing uni e si ies in di e en g oups can be use ul o suppo and in e p e he
esul s o he p e ious analysis, as i o e s in o ma ion abou simila i ies and di e ences
among he uni e si ies in ou sample. The clus e also helps o connec he con ibu ion
o he uni e si ies o he SDGs wi h he d i e s analyzed in he eg essions, as i is buil
using as inpu s he s a is ically signi ican independen a iables. Consequen ly, he g oups
a ising as ou pu a e expec ed o show pa e ns ela ed o he dependen a iables. Tha is
o say, using a di e en and complemen a y me hodology, he pu pose o his analysis is o
es whe he hose uni e si ies wi h simila alues o he signi ican d i e s a e expec ed o
show simila con ibu ions o he SDGs signi ican ly in luenced by such d i e s.
In o de o ind common pa e ns o SDG con ibu ions based on hei d i e s, we
ha e used he Gephi so wa e [41] o ind simila i ies among ins i u ions.
The Gephi so wa e is an open-sou ce isualiza ion and explo a ion so wa e o all
kinds o g aphs and ne wo ks, e ealing he unde lying s uc u es o associa ions be ween
objec s. As he use ulness o a ne wo k analysis o en comes om he da a associa ed o
nodes and edges, he Gephi g aph in his pape consis s o a se o nodes (uni e si ies)
and a se o pai s o nodes called edges ( he ecip ocal o Euclidean dis ances among
uni e si ies, in his case) ha enable a dynamic ne wo k isualiza ion aking in o accoun
he signi ican explana o y d i e s. Speci ically, in o de o calcula e he edge be ween each
pai o uni e si ies i
m
and i
n
, we compu e he ecip ocal o he ollowing Euclidean dis ance,
calcula ed, in u n, using he s anda dized alues o each signi ican d i ing ac o .
Dimin= ∑
SSEF
(SSEFkim−SSEFkin)2∀im6=in(3)
whe e
Dimin
means he Euclidean dis ance be ween uni e si ies i
m
and i
n
;
SSEFkim
indica es
he s anda dized alue o he explana o y ac o k o uni e si y i
m
, wi h k= WP, In R,
Sus ainabili y 2021,13, 89 9 o 19
Re S ud, CapT ans e s, only i he d i ing ac o has p o ed o be s a is ically signi ican
in he p e ious analysis eg ession; SSEF indica es he g oup o s anda dized signi ican
explana o y ac o s ( hose ha u n ou o be signi ican in he eg ession analysis among
WP, In R, Re S ud and CapT ans e s).
The s anda diza ion p ocess is ca ied ou o a oid he excessi e weigh bias o
d i ing ac o s whose o iginal alues a e e y high compa ed wi h he alue anges o
o he d i ing ac o s.
The clus e de ec ion in ol es he pa i ion o a node ne wo k in o communi ies
o s ongly connec ed nodes. The quali y o such a p ocedu e is o en measu ed by i s
modula i y, a scala alue anging be ween
−
1 and 1 ha compa es he densi y o links
inside communi ies wi h he links be ween communi ies and ha is based on Newman [
42
]
and he “Lou ain algo i hm” in oduced by Blondel e al. [
43
]. The highe he modula i y,
he mo e accu a e he clus e s.
4. Resul s and Discussion
4.1. Desc ip i e Analysis
Table 2shows he desc ip i e s a is ics o he a iables unde s udy. The a e age global
con ibu ion o he SDGs o he Spanish uni e si ies included in he anking is 73.74 o e
100, wi h a s anda d de ia ion o 10.15, which is a good indica o o hei posi ion in he
anking. Conside ing ha he anking is elabo a ed o 768 uni e si ies om 85 coun ies
and ha he maximum o he o e all sco e is 98.5 and he minimum 28.5, i seems ha
Spanish Uni e si ies a e abo e he a e age in gene al e ms. The bes Spanish Uni e si y
in he ank is in he 40 h posi ion wi h an o e all sco e o 89.7, while he wo s occupies a
posi ion in he ange 401–600 wi h an a e age global sco e o 54.05.
Table 2. Desc ip i e s a is ics o he a iables.
Va iable N A e age S and. De . Coe icien
Va ia ion Minimum Maximum
O e all con ibu ion o SDGs (CSDGs) 32 73.7453 10.1590 0.1378 54.0500 89.7000
Sco e SDG3 23 62.7630 13.7175 0.2186 35.1500 80.6000
Sco e SDG4 27 62.6333 14.1131 0.2253 31.7500 85.4000
Sco e SDG5 26 59.3577 8.2618 0.1392 46.5000 74.2000
Sco e SDG17 32 66.3094 16.7732 0.2530 20.9000 89.2000
P esence on he in e ne (WP) 32 875.8438 1020.0700 1.1647 87.0000 4373.0000
In e na ionaliza ion a e (In R) 31 1.2723 0.4752 0.3735 0.7000 3.1800
To al e enues pe s uden (Re s ud) 27 10,837.1300 2402.3100 0.2217 4079.8700 17,198.4500
Capi al ans e s o esea ch and
in as uc u e (CapT ans e s) 27 0.3594 0.5006 1.3929 0.0004 2.5964
The indi idual sco es o he SDGs show ha SDG 17 anks highes , ollowed by SDG
3 and SDG4. The sco es o SDG5 a e also e y close o hese. In all o hem he desc ip i e
analysis shows ha he e is high a iabili y, wi h big di e ences be ween en i ies.
Wi h ega d o he p esence on he in e ne , based on a posi ion anking, he si ua ion
is e y simila . In his case, he lowe he a iable, he be e he p esence. I can be seen
ha he i s Spanish Uni e si y appea ing in he anking is anked 87, while he las
is anked 4373. The p esence o uni e si ies on he in e ne has been ela ed wi h web
usabili y [
37
,
44
], and he e o e be e posi ions in he anking may be an indica ion o be e
usabili y.
The in e na ionaliza ion a e shows ha , on a e age, he Spanish Uni e si ies ecei e
mo e o eign s uden s han hey send ou , which demons a es ha Spanish uni e si ies
Sus ainabili y 2021,13, 89 16 o 19
o ensu e heal hy li es and p omo e well-being, inclusi e and equi able quali y educa ion
wi h lea ning oppo uni ies o all, gende equali y and women’s empowe men , as well
as pa icipa ion in global pa ne ships o sus ainable de elopmen . The con ibu ion o
each uni e si y o hese goals, bo h om an o e all and an indi idual SDG pe spec i e, is
he esul o speci ic ac ions, he commi men o each ac o and o he con ex ual ac o s.
Taking his in o accoun , his pape has de ined some in e nal ac o s ha can in luence he
con ibu ion o uni e si ies o ac as d i e s o pe o mance in SDGs.
In pa icula , he pape e eals ha he e a e h ee ac o s which ha e a posi i e
impac on uni e si y sco es: capi al ans e s o in as uc u e and esea ch ecei ed
om he egional go e nmen s, he p esence o uni e si ies on he in e ne and hei
in e na ionaliza ion a e. In con as , he e enue pe s uden does no appea o be
signi ican , indica ing ha he con ibu ion o uni e si ies o he SDGs is no necessa ily
linked o he o al olume o unds.
In Spain, uni e si ies a e inanced by he egional go e nmen s, which ha e esponsi-
bili y o highe educa ion. The inancial esou ces ans e ed by egional go e nmen s
o uni e si ies a e wo old: inancial esou ces o cu en expendi u es and inancial e-
sou ces o esea ch and in as uc u e, ha is, capi al expendi u es. The esul s show
ha hose uni e si ies which ecei e highe inancing om he egional go e nmen s o
he la e a e mo e commi ed o achie ing he SDGs. On he one hand, hey a e mo e
inclined o p o ide some e u n o socie y and ci izens in exchange o he suppo hey
ecei e om he egional go e nmen ; on he o he hand, as hey ha e a g ea e chance o
ecei ing ecu en inancing, hey ha e mo e oppo uni ies o imp o e inno a ion and
achie e success ul esea ch esul s.
Ano he ac o ha has an e ec on he sco es o uni e si ies o SDG pe o mance is
he in e na ionaliza ion a e. Uni e si ies wi h a highe a e o incoming o e ou going
s uden s make a g ea e con ibu ion o he SDGs. In e na ionaliza ion equi es adap ing
he s uc u es and he cul u e o he uni e si y o a mo e open wo ld, as well as he
de elopmen o pa ne ships and ag eemen s wi h o eign uni e si ies, and his can ha e
posi i e e ec s on sus ainabili y. Uni e si ies ha a e mo e a ac i e o o eign s uden s
a e mo e likely o con ibu e o SDG de elopmen om an o e all pe spec i e, wi h a be e
pe o mance o SDG3 and SDG 17 in pa icula , due o he global pa ne ships achie ed
h ough he in e na ionaliza ion o he uni e si y.
The p esence o uni e si ies on he in e ne is also a posi i e d i e o SDGs in uni-
e si ies, as hey may use he web o p omo ing hese goals, as well as o accoun abili y
pu poses and building us among s akeholde s. E-lea ning is ano he op ion ha uni-
e si ies can use o con ibu e o SDGs om a b oad pe spec i e, gi en ha i allows o a
mo e inclusi e and equi able educa ion, o e en o p epa e ci il socie y o ha e he skills
o achie ing he goals. This d i e basically in luences SDG17.
The Gephi analysis iden i ies some common pa e ns ound among he uni e si ies in
e ms o he in e nal ac o s ha in luence hei con ibu ion o he SDGS. Th ee gene al
clus e s o uni e si ies a e e ealed. The i s g oup comp ises uni e si ies ha ha e a high
commi men o he SDGs, pa icula ly SDG3, SDG4, and SDG17, and which ha e highe
le els o in e na ionaliza ion and p esence on he in e ne . In many cases, hey ecei e
mo e esou ces om egional go e nmen s o esea ch and in as uc u e. The second
g oup is made up o uni e si ies wi h medium o low sco es in SDGs o e all. Despi e
ha ing a s ong p esence on he in e ne , hey exhibi less in e na ionaliza ion and ecei e
ewe inancial esou ces om he egional go e nmen , leading o a lowe pe o mance
in SDG4 in ou sample. Finally, he hi d g oup consis s o uni e si ies which also ha e
medium and low sco es in global pe o mance and a e mainly cha ac e ized by a low le el
o in e na ionaliza ion and lowe p esence on he in e ne , leading o a lowe pe o mance
in SDG3.
These esul s ha e impo an implica ions o uni e si ies, which may be mo i a ed
o inc ease hei p esence on he in e ne o hei e o s a in e na ionaliza ion, bu also o
egional go e nmen s, which should be awa e o he ele ance o hei capi al ans e s o

Sus ainabili y 2021,13, 89 17 o 19
uni e si ies no only in e ms o inno a ion and esea ch bu also o hei impo ance in
enabling he uni e si ies o play a g ea e ole in socie y as a whole, including achie ing
he SDGs and he e o e p o iding a mo e sus ainable, ai and inclusi e en i onmen o
all. The con ibu ion and esul s o he pape should be o in e es o manage s and o he
s akeholde s o uni e si ies, as well as o poli icians and o he policy make s, who can be
encou aged o design policies ha suppo he ole o uni e si ies in achie ing he SDGs.
This pape has some po en ial limi a ions. Fi s ly, he design and ope a ion o ankings
can ha e some implici sho comings, which may be e lec ed in he analyses using hei
da a. Howe e , ankings a leas p o ide he oppo uni y o mo i a e ins i u ions o
imp o e hei image and, he e o e, in his case, hei con ibu ion o he SDGs. We
he e o e conside he esul s o be o in e es o, and e en an inspi a ion o , uni e si ies,
encou aging awa eness o he ele ance o policies ha can con ibu e o a mo e social,
ai and equal wo ld. Howe e , e y impo an ly, i should be no ed ha hese esul s
may only be possible o hose uni e si ies ha ha e been able o p o ide he da a and
in o ma ion necessa y o pa icipa e in he Times Highe Educa ion Wo ld Uni e si y
anking. Thei conside a ion in his pape is ela i e o he se o uni e si ies unde he
same ci cums ances, and i is no compa able wi h hose ins i u ions o which he e is
no in o ma ion on he ma e . Secondly, he selec ion o he d i e s has been based on
he li e a u e e iew bu also condi ioned by he a ailabili y o he da a, and i would
be con enien o ex end he s udy o o he ac o s in he u u e. Finally, he analysis
conside s only Spanish public uni e si ies, due o limi a ions in he a ailabili y o he
da a. I would be in e es ing o comple e he analysis wi h a la ge sample, including, o
example, uni e si ies om di e en coun ies.
Au ho Con ibu ions:
All au ho s con ibu ed equally o his wo k. All au ho s ha e ead and
ag eed o he published e sion o he manusc ip .
Funding: The au ho s g a e ully acknowledge he inancial suppo ecei ed om he Go e nmen
o A agón/Eu opean Regional De elopmen Fund 2014-2020 (Resea ch g oups S38-17R and S11-17R)
and om he Spanish Minis y o Science, Inno a ion and Uni e si y/ERDF (RTI2018-093483-B-I00).
Con lic s o In e es : The au ho s decla e no con lic o in e es .
Re e ences
1.
Uni ed Na ions Gene al Assembly. Repo o he Wo ld Commission on En i onmen and De elopmen : Ou Common Fu u e.
1987. A ailable online: h ps://sus ainablede elopmen .un.o g/con en /documen s/5987ou -common- u u e.pd (accessed on
18 Decembe 2020).
2.
Sa o i, S.; La ônico, F.; Campos, L.M. Sus ainabili y and sus ainable de elopmen : A axonomy in he ield o li e a u e. Ambien e
Soc.
2014
,17. A ailable online: h ps://www.scielo.b /scielo.php?pid=S1414-753X2014000100002&sc ip =sci_a ex & lng=en
(accessed on 18 Decembe 2020).
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