Policy review: South Carolina 1

In recent years there has been a significant growth in the number of international students. In several developed countries the inflow of foreign tertiary students has become a significant source of income for higher education (HE) providers and the economy as a whole. This net inflow of foreign students has been indirectly and, more recently, directly encouraged by government policies in these countries. However, this ‘trade’ in HE is unbalanced, with low‐income countries being significant net ‘importers’ of HE. Here we review the theoretical and empirical literature to reassess the impact of this growth of international students on the extent and pattern of global income inequality. We conclude that the benefits from the growth of trade in HE accrue predominantly to developed countries, with the costs being disproportionately borne by the poorest countries. Analysis is presented explaining why national and pan‐national policies are unlikely to rectify this imbalance.     

Student loans in financing higher education in India

Confronted with declining public budgets for education on the one hand, and the need for more resources on the other, many developing countries such as India, have been examining alternative methods of financing higher education. One such mechanism is student loans. A student loan programme is not a new phenomenon in India. The National Loans Scholarship Scheme has been in operation since 1963. This article critically reviews the experience of implementation of the National Loan Scholarship scheme. It examines strengths and weaknesses and problems specific to this programme in India, with a view to identifying measures for marginal improvement in the programme. The conclusion is that at present student loans make little contribution to either the efficiency or equity of higher education in India.     

中国理财教育现状、问题和对策

针对中国的理财教育严重不足,理财教育课程开发薄弱的现状,应完善我国理财教育的基本思路,即政策支持开发校本课程,鼓励理财教育与生活实践相结合,重视家庭在开展理财教育中的重要作用,加强理财教育师资队伍的建设等等.     

21世纪以来我国农村义务教育财政体制的改革与完善

“以县为主”的农村义务教育财政体制的确立及其存在的缺陷和农村义务教育经费保障机制的实施及其存在的主要问题是当前我国农村义务教育中值得关注的问题,这关系到如何进一步改革和完善我国农村义务教育财政体制的对策问题。     

The dilemma of reforms in financing higher education in India

Higher education systems are increasingly starved of financial resources. India is not an exception. The recent trends in financing of higher education in India are indeed disturbing. Quite a few important proposals are being made in this context by national governments and international organizations. International experience will be of considerable importance in formulating new policies. In this paper a select few proposals are described, the national and international experience on the same is contrasted with each proposal, and the necessary lessons are drawn. It is shown that the suggestions that are being made for developing countries do not have empirical validity, if the practices of developed countries are taken to provide any guidance.     

Equity effects of the educational finance act in South Carolina

Equity impacts of school finance reform in South Carolina are analyzed in this paper. The effects of the school finance reform are studied with the aid of 15 different measures of equity, including the coefficient of variation, the McLoone Index, wealth elasticity, and other univariate and bivariate measures. Results indicate considerable equity improvements in South Carolina from 1978 to 1982.     

市场经济的发展与高等教育财政体制改革

随着我国从计划经济向社会主义市场经济转轨 ,计划经济条件下形成的高度集中的高等教育财政体制已不适应高等教育发展的需求。 2 0世纪 80年代初以来 ,我国高等教育财政体制在高等教育拔款体制、高等学校经费使用制度、经费分配方式等方面进行了一系列改革。这些改革反映了社会主义市场经济的发展客观上要求高等教育资源配置应符合透明性、公平性和效率性的三项基本原则。随着市场经济的进一步发展 ,高等教育财政体制的改革将会不断深化 ,不断完善     

Community financing of education: issues from Kenya

Given the squeeze on national budgets and the need for priorities over investment choices in education, many governments have turned to communities in the search for alternative sources of revenue. In Kenya, there is a long and rich history of community involvement in the financing of education at all levels, rooted within the phenomenon of the dynamic self‐help movement harambee, which underpins much of Kenya's grass roots development activity. Within education, the conscious partnership between communities and government has been most manifest within the unaided harambee secondary school sector, although a more recent policy shift has witnessed the transfer to communities of all capital expenditures associated with a structural and curriculum reform, particularly at primary level. Despite opening up access to education to a high percentage of the school age population, there remain, however, fundamental questions associated both with the quality and equity of systems dependent upon community financing.