Reforming higher education systems: Some lessons to guide policy implementation

Although higher education systems are in a constant state of change, they are difficult for governments to reform. This paper analyzes a wide variety of country experiences in establishing mechanisms to co-ordinate the development of higher education systems, diversifying institutional financing and increasing the efficiency of public investments. Attention is drawn to the need for effective policy structures to manage higher education, to link costs of reforms to benefits such as increased opportunity, to take account of the institutional constraints to change as well as to carefully articulate educational reforms with other public policies that influence the performance of the higher education systems.     

Market‐oriented school reform in England and Finland: school choice,finance and governance

This paper explores the introduction of market‐oriented reforms into school‐based education in England and Finland. The contexts into which reforms were introduced differed, with a fully comprehensive system being in place in Finland but not in England; the motives were also different; and different trajectories have since been followed. Whilst there are apparent similarities, with choice and diversity having a high political profile in each country, the policy mix varies: two different models can be discerned, with the Finnish reforms being characterised by more regulatory control in relation to school access and choice, but less in relation to the financing of schools by local authorities. It is argued that the mediating role played by local authorities in jurisdictions with high levels of decentralisation means that the legislative framework needs to be taken into account when examining policy implementation and educational outcomes.     

University governance reforms: potential problems of more autonomy?

University governance reforms are very much a reflection of the broader New Public Management reforms that are focusing on increasing efficiency in public organizations. The article deals with how university reform ideas of a generic nature, emphasizing that universities should be treated and reformed like any other public organizations, are important and reflected in specific reform measures. The special empirical focus is on that universities through reforms are changing their formal affiliation to superior ministries in a more autonomous direction, implicating more autonomy in financial, management and decision-making matters. One the other hand, universities are also through reforms more exposed to more report, scrutiny and control systems, financial incentive systems, pressure to get resources from other sources than the government, cut-back management, etc. So a main question in the analysis is whether universities, as traditionally having quite a lot of real autonomy, through the reforms in fact are getting less autonomy, not more, like the reforms entrepreneurs often are promising. The analysis is based on a transformational approach from organization theory, representing a combination of structural, cultural and environmental factors of explanation for reforms processes and their effects. Empirically the article is based on the author’s own empirical studies of university reform and reviews of comparative studies.     

The privatization and marketization of US schooling

This paper describes the trend towards the privatization and marketization of US schooling across three domains. We begin by describing the trend in recent pro-market policy reforms — proposed or enacted — to US schooling. This reform trend can be explained in terms of the growing importance of economic theory and economic evidence in social and political discourse. Briefly, we review mainstream economic theory and evidence to see what general lessons can be drawn, with a focus on productive efficiency. In the main section of the paper, we look at the direct evidence for US schooling not only in terms of the productive efficiency of schools, but also equity in schools, freedom of choice for parents and students, and the social cohesion produced by schools. Our review reaches a number of conclusions which suggest that the trend toward privatization and marketization may generate greater productive efficiency. Although the economic analysis is deficient in several ways and may have limited pertinence for social goods such as education, it highlights the need for strong and effective systems of accountability. Regardless of whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, however, it may be difficult to prevent further steps toward marketization.     

The financing of Spanish public universities

The main features of the recent evolution of the Spanish universities are described in this paper. Of the three sets of reforms that are currently in progress (reforms of the teaching process, institutional evaluation and new financing models) we concentrate on the last one, introducing and discussing some proposals for the financing of Spanish public universities.The first part of the paper shows the recent institutional changes, the evolution of the university system (in students and in financial and human resources) over the last decade, its situation within the international context, the student demand, the graduate output and the labor market demand for graduates. In the second part, the proposal for revising the current financing model is described in detail.     

民族地区投融资体制改革的制约因素与对策研究

消除制约民族地区投融资体制改革的制约因素,应积极探索多元化的投资建设新机制,加快改革步伐,为投融资业发展提供制度保障,灵活掌握财政货币政策,建立金融信用制度,积极放开民间投资实业的限制,重视建设具有“忠诚守信”品德的高级金融人才队伍,把金融活动纳入法制化轨道,推动民族地区投融资业健康发展。     

African universities and the state: Prospects for reform in Senegal and Uganda

Uganda's Makerere University and the University of Dakar in Senegal were for many years after independence among Africa's premier universities. Today, their facilities have visibly deteriorated and the quality of instruction the institutions provide is seriously threatened — the consequence of political and economic turmoil combined with persistent underfunding. If higher education remains supply-driven without reference to available resources, the problems of Makerere and the University of Dakar can only increase and become even more unmanageable. The governments of Senegal and Uganda are being encouraged by donors to undertake reforms to revitalize the university sector. However, it will not be possible to reform financing of public higher education, or to carry out many other reforms, unless the universities have more administrative and financial autonomy. Strategies for reforming higher education systems in these countries are proposed requiring a shift from government participation in the governance of public universities and in matters affecting their enrolments and utilization of resources to more indirect forms of control. Nevertheless, the policy implications for Senegal and Uganda are very different. In Senegal, measures to increase autonomy must be articulated with a larger role for the state in regulating the flow of students to university, rationalizing the programs of different institutions and restricting students' eligibility for support. In Uganda, there is need for greater government co-ordination of public and private investments in higher education and significant devolution of control of public universities.McGill University, Education and Employment Division, Population and Human Resources Department, The World BankEducation and Employment Division, Population and Human Resources Department, The World Bank     

地方高校大学生“村官”培养途径研究

高校应为大学生＂村官＂培养贡献自己的力量。从大学生＂村官＂在校期间的培养模式、培养方法、培养环节、培养内容四方面入手,通过紧抓大学生＂村官＂的培养源头,来提高大学生＂村官＂的工作实效,促进大学生＂村官＂政策的可持续发展。     

Evaluation policy in education: the effects of international standards and performativity on Brazil’s postgraduate programmes of excellence

The educational reforms that began in the 1990s have changed Brazilian universities’ direction from welfare state institutions to market organisations. In postgraduate education, strategic alliances with international agencies, governments and corporations have become closer. At the same time, there has been a push for internationalisation of knowledge and more efficiency – with quality assurance and accountability systems. This study, based on the theory of ‘policy enactments’ proposed by Stephen Ball and collaborators, aims to analyse the interpretation and translation of Brazil’s postgraduate education programmes’ evaluation policy. The data are derived from interviews with co-ordinators of four Brazilian postgraduate programmes in education – all regarded by the Higher Education Co-ordination Agency, CAPES, as programmes of excellence and of international standard (during the assessment triennials of 2004, 2007 and 2010). The data analysis provided a critical understanding of the evaluation policy as policy enactment, and of the small margin for manoeuvre in decision-making in response to the policy and performativity’s effect on academic subjectivity and collective practice.     

Reflecting globalization effects on local policy: higher education reform in Taiwan

Recent comparative education policy studies show that even though there seems to be similar patterns and trends in higher education reforms in East Asian societies, the recently initiated higher education reforms have had very diverse agendas. Thus, the considerable convergence of policy rhetoric and general policy objectives may not satisfactorily explain the complicated processes of changes and the dynamic interactions between global, regional and local forces that shape education policy-making in individual countries. This article discusses globalization effects on national policy, with particular reference to how the higher education sector in Taiwan has transformed itself under the global tide of marketization and decentralization. There are a lot of changes similar to both higher education in Taiwan and that of elsewhere, which suggests that Taiwan's higher education has been affected by the trends of globalization. But before we jump to this conclusion, maybe we should also bear in mind an alternative hypothesis that local factors are crucial and determining factors for change. The core of the article is to examine the ways and strategies the Taiwan Government has adopted to reform its higher education systems in response to the changing local socio-economic political context and regional-global environments, with a particular focus on provision, regulation and financing.     

国家新奖助学金的特点与实施中存在问题的政策学分析

2007年6月,我国教育部、财政部联合下发了一系列文件,使我国的新奖助学金呈现出资助类型多、资助标准完善、中央与地方双重出资、助学金比重增大、民办高校纳入资助体系等特点,完善了我国大学生资助体系。但在具体实施过程当中,在政策方案、执行机构、目标群体、环境方面还存在一些问题,今后的改革也应从建立奖助学金运营机构、制定评价体系与监督机制、对学生进行奖助学金教育、建立系统化资助体系几个方面进行。     

University Policy and Coordination Systems between Governments and Universities: The Experience of the Catalan University System

The co-ordination, control and financing mechanisms for higher education institutions have been the subject of ongoing political analysis and technical debate within university systems over recent years. The interrelationships between governments (as the ones in charge of university policy), universities and society have in recent years undergone a restatement process, due principally to the widespread changes that have occurred in the higher education environment. In this context, the university system of Catalonia (Spain's most advanced and dynamic autonomous region) has, since 1997, been undergoing a new co-ordination experience between the government and universities centred around the programme-based contract formula, which has opened the way to a new system of financing and control of academic outputs for universities. The object of this paper is to critically analyse this experience (completely new to the Spanish university scene) in order to draw conclusions from the debate in progress on higher education co-ordination, financing and university autonomy. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

高校进口科教仪器设备免税办理效率提升办法

进口科教仪器设备免税工作办理效率是影响设备进口效率的关键因素,为保障高校教学、科研工作的有序进行,高校设备采购部门有必要采取措施提升进口科教仪器设备的免税办理效率。主要措施包括:实施校内进口科教仪器设备采购培训,建立专人负责或采用代理服务制度,规范实施免税申报,完善后续管理和建设管理信息系统。     

University policy and coordination systems between governments and universities: The experience of the Catalan university system

Abstract

The co‐ordination, control and financing mechanisms for higher education institutions have been the subject of ongoing political analysis and technical debate within university systems over recent years. The interrelationships between governments (as the ones in charge of university policy), universities and society have in recent years undergone a restatement process, due principally to the widespread changes that have occurred in the higher education environment. In this context, the university system of Catalonia (Spain's most advanced and dynamic autonomous region) has, since 1997, been undergoing a new co‐ordination experience between the government and universities centred around the programme‐based contract formula, which has opened the way to a new system of financing and control of academic outputs for universities. The object of this paper is to critically analyse this experience (completely new to the Spanish university scene) in order to draw conclusions from the debate in progress on higher education co‐ordination, financing and university autonomy.     

延续与变迁:21世纪初的香港高等教育发展与改革

本文在概述香港高等教育发展历程的基础上,分析了世纪之初香港高等教育所面临的主要问题、重要改革举措和政策变革。香港高等教育在21世纪初的主要发展和改革表现在：素质评鉴机制的制度化,大学管治体制和教职员薪酬制度的改革,大学角色的再定位,社区学院和私立大学的发展,以及大学教育的国际化等方面。这些改革对香港高校与政府的关系、高校的角色定位等都带来重要影响。香港高等教育的国际化发展,将使香港高校在中国内地高等教育体系中扮演越来越重要的角色,推动香港与中国内地高等教育的互动和发展。为此,香港与内地之间需要加强在高等教育政策上的协调与合作。     

回眸与展望：高校多元筹资的历史沿革与发展趋势

我国多元筹资政策在实现缓解办学经费短缺目标的同时,未能解决经费结构优化的问题。政府角色转换、财政性经费可预期实质性增长为经费多元化提供了保障和有利条件,但二元与多元结构的转换非短时期内可以达成的政策目标。多元筹资的政策目标及实现途径应随高校层次不同而有所选择,企业加大成本分担的力度应成为问题解决的重要思路,多元筹资政策目标的价值蕴涵应注重与高校组织目标的一致性。     

零余额账户用款额度与高校融资困境研究

伴随公共财政体制改革的不断深入,以零余额账户用款额度为代表的新会计科目被广泛运用于高校等行政事业单位的日常会计核算。这一举措有利于政府宏观调控能力的加强及财政资金使用效率的提高,但同时也使高校在融资过程中面临新的问题和挑战。新形势下,化解高校融资困境的关键在于制度创新和渠道创新。     

民营企业融资的困境与出路

以市场为导向的民营企业支持了中国经济的持续稳定增长，经过二十多年的原始积累，现巳初具规模，但在寻求进一步发展的过程中，面临着制约其发展的融资困境。我国民营企业走出融资困境的出路在于：政府加大对民营企业融资的政策支持；加快金融体制改革；拓宽民营企业的融资渠道；加强民营企业经营行为的规范化。     

Finance reform in Japanese higher education

One of the characteristics in Japan's system of higher education is its large private higher education sector. However, recent financing reforms have targetedmainly national universities since the largestproportion of government support to highereducation goes to these institutions. Recentreforms have been changing the structure and natureof national university finance. These changeswere also influenced by a large private sector. Private universities also compete with nationaluniversities in order to increase financialresources. Therefore, there is a need toreconsider resource allocation and thedistribution of functions among whole universities.     

高校社会资本论

高校社会资本是一种重要的资本形式,在高等教育的发展过程中起着重要作用。提出高校社会资本既有必要,又是可行的。高校社会资本具有社会融资、信息获取、合作创新等多项功能。高校社会资本的积累,需要法律政策、高校领导、团体组织、社会责任等多重保障。