This study examines the role of empowered scholarship as a catalyst for socio-economic development in South Africa. Engaged scholarship involves active participation of academics in addressing societal challenges through research, teaching, and community engagement. In the South African context, empowered scholarship focuses on promoting inclusive growth, addressing inequality, and fostering sustainable development. Through case studies and empirical analysis, this research explores how collaborative efforts between academia, government, and civil society contribute to positive socio-economic outcomes. The study highlights the impact of empowered scholarship in driving policy change, advancing social justice, and enhancing community resilience.

Empowered scholarship, Socio-economic development, South Africa

Boyer, E. (1990). Scholarship reconsidered: priorities of the professorate. Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Princeton: New Jersey.

Boyer, E. (1996). The scholarship of engagement. Journal of Public Service and Outreach, 1(1), 11-20.

Fourie, F. (2006). In pursuit of a South African scholarship of engagement. Paper presented at the CHE-HEQC/JET-CHESP Conference on Community Engagement in Higher Education, Cape Town South Africa.

Guajardo, M. A., Guajardo, F. J., & Locke, L. (2016). An introduction to ecologies of engaged scholarship: Stories from activist-academics. International Journal of Qualitative Studies In Education, 30(1), 1-5.

Guajardo, M., Guajardo, F., Oliver, J., Valadez, M. M., Henderson, K., & Keawe, L. O. (2012). A conversation on political imagination and advocacy for educational leadership. UCEA Review, 53(3), 19-22.

Hale, C. R. (Ed.). (2008). Engaging Contradictions: Theory, Politics, and Methods of Activist Scholarship. Berkeley and Los Angeles, California: University of California Press.

Kitching A. E. (2016). Book Review: A Participatory Paradigm for an Engaged Scholarship in Higher Education: Action Leadership from a South African Perspective by Zuber-Skerritt, O., Wood, L. and Louw, I. Educational Research for Social Change (ERSC), 5(1), 144-147.

Sandmann, L. R. (2008). Conceptualization of the Scholarship of Engagement in Higher Education: A Strategic Review, 1996-2006. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, 12(1), 91-104.

Shultz, L., & Kajner, T. (Eds.). 2013. Engaged Scholarship: The Politics of Engagement and Disengagement. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.