Suchergebnisse

Objective. The objective of this article is to examine whether public expenditure on higher education has an effect on income inequality by increasing enrollment.Methods. Combining data from the World Bank Development Indicators with data from the World Income Inequality Database version 2, we study the relation between government education expenditure and enrollment rates, as well as the relation between government education expenditure and the change in income inequality during the 1980s and the 1990s.Results. We find that public expenditure on higher education has no positive effect on enrollment. Increased enrollment is mainly explained by higher GDP per capita. Using carefully selected Gini coefficients to ensure comparability over time, we do not find a robust relation between higher education expenditure and lower income inequality, contrary to some previous studies.Conclusions. Government expenditure on higher education has very limited effects on enrollment and inequality. This finding, however, does not imply that there are no social benefits from such subsidies. For example, in countries where high marginal tax rates decrease the economic returns to education, governments may wish to compensate for this through subsidies.

Agenda setting is one of key concepts in the critical or interpretative approaches in the study of policy development. Developed in response to positivist paradigms, which saw policies as largely technical solutions to objectively existing problems, critical or interpretive analysis emphasises the constructed, contingent, and processual nature of policies, in particular the role of differently positioned actors in bringing specific issues to the fore (Fischer, 2003). In this sense, the use of agenda setting in the research on higher education policy is fundamentally related to the questions of political power and influence, and thus to the relationship between longer-term structural change and stability, on the one hand, and individual or collective agency, on the other. In broad terms, agenda setting refers to the capacity of an actor (individual, group, organisation, institution) to define or influence issues on the public agenda. This occurs in two ways: on the one hand, selecting issues seen as important or relevant (thematisation or problematisation); on the other, shaping the way these issues are framed, discussed and interpreted (framing or interpretation). While policy processes normally involve elements of both, their analysis can be traced to two relatively distinct disciplinary traditions, one largely reliant on political science, and the other on communication and media studies. This article summarises the main elements of both traditions, and then delineates their convergences and implications for higher education policy research. ; peerReviewed

The nature of the relationship between state government and higher education is problematic for both policy makers and students of higher education governance. The purpose of this study was to provide a better understanding of the position of Secretary of Education, one facet of the multi-faceted relationship between state government and higher education in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The problem of this research effort, therefore, was to describe the historical context of the cabinet-level position and the authority and major areas of responsibility of the Secretary of Education in Virginia. The research methodology used to execute the study was that of an exploratory field study. The investigation was conducted in five phases, with the data collected by means of: (1) reviewing legal and historical documents, and (2) conducting focused interviews. Within the context of the historical development of the Virginia cabinet system, including the position of Secretary of Education, and the intention of the incumbent Governor to test the recommendations of the Hopkins Commission, it was not surprising that the area of budget emerged as the major responsibility of the Secretary of Education in the Dalton Administration. The assignment of budget targets was designated as the primary area of responsibility for the Secretary of Education in order to accomplish the intent of promoting effectiveness and efficiency in state government, including higher education, and controlling its growth. The creation and subsequent development of the position of Secretary of Education, with its attendant oversight and budgetary responsibilities in relation to higher education, modified the "self-denying ordinance" relationship between state government and higher education in Virginia. The cabinet-level education position will remain inthe higher education governance structure without significant alteration of its statutory authority, including budget authority which is formally less than that granted to other functional area Secretaries. The probable future role of the position of Secretary of Education will include developing and implementing policy, especially in the area of budget, and providing executive oversight of the total education function in the Commonwealth of Virginia. ; Ed. D.

Policy analysis of Chinese high school education since the reform and opening up -- Policy analysis of the teacher policy in Chinese high schools -- An analysis of the curriculum and textbook policy in Chinese high schools -- An Analysis of the school layout policy of Chinese high school education -- An analysis of the enrollment policy of college entrance examination -- An analysis of the diversified development of high school education in China.

For many decades, states and the federal government have used both qualitative and quantitative studies to inform policy decisions, yet there have been longstanding concerns among qualitative researchers that their work is treated as second class. This paper examines an alternative construction of the problem. Policymakers in states and federal agencies treat policy research as tools of state—instruments to be used by policy makers—a practice in conflict with the moral stance of many qualitative researchers. Recognizing this problem, I provide guidance for constructing quantitative and qualitative research to inform decisions on policies on equity in preparation for, access to, and academic success in higher education without undermining the researchers' quest for truth.

Based on archival material and interviews, the paper argues that the autonomy of Hong Kong's institutions of higher education has varied since 1911, with the colonial state initially exercising tight control and relaxing it especially as the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong approached. China has sought to reassert control especially since 2014 in what continues to be contested space. (China Q/GIGA)