This article investigates whether the level of academics’ societal engagement (ASE) is higher or lower at universities with leading research university (LRU) status compared with institutions at lower status levels within vertically stratified systems. The authors found that societal recognition and LRU-status run in parallel in Russia and in Kazakhstan. In comparison with Russia, societal recognition is a distinct mechanism in Germany, which is not triggered by LRU-status, while in Canada, ASE is mainly correlated with individual (status) determinants.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41307-020-00219-5  (SharedIt link: https://rdcu.be/cdAMU).