What is the greater good? The discourse on public and private roles of higher education in the new economy

Abstract

This study examined the ways that the 'public good' of higher education is being conceptualised as economic benefits and cost/benefit rationalities in the current economic downturn. Based on the case of Arizona in the United States, a discourse analysis of speeches was performed on the way public, state and institutional leaders described ways that the public higher education system must respond in the changing global economy with less state funds directed towards public institutions. The findings demonstrate the changing public nature of higher education from emphasising individual over societal benefits, thus also reflecting changing funding sources.

Happiness in Higher Education

“…In other words, perhaps partly to meet students’ demands for better value, universities cater towards economic outcomes: preparing students for employability post‐study so that their investment in tuition will be repaid once they enter the job market. Such a move can be seen within the wider discourse of higher education's public good being conceptualised purely concerning economic benefits: ‘much of the contemporary paradigm connects education with a narrower sense of good: the economic good of the individuals who benefit from learning, and the fiscal vitality of the communities in which those individuals are housed’ (Hensley et al ., , p. 553). Hence, as Gibbs (, p. 60) suggests, in contemporary higher education there is an ‘overpowering discourse’ around economic purpose to the detriment of discussion around happiness.…”

“…However, the tangibility of economic outcomes is much easier to grasp than those of either cultural benefits or of concepts such as happiness and well‐being (Hensley et al ., , p. 565). Measuring whether or not a student states that they are satisfied with an aspect of provision at a specific moment in time is much more straightforward than assessing whether or not they have had an edifying experience leading in the long term to eudaimonic happiness.…”

Embargoed exchanges: A critical analysis of emerging market dynamics in U.S. and Cuban academic exchange

“…For instance, Hensley, Galilee-Belfer and Lee (2013) examined a situation in Arizona where state funding for higher education had been drastically cut. Legislators changed the narrative of the goal of higher education being a societal benefit to one of individual benefit in order to justify the increasing cost of attendance (Hensley, Galilee-Belfer, &Lee, 2013).…”

El Rol de la Universidad Estatal como un Bien Público. Retos en el Caso Colombiano

“…En efecto, la teoría de capital humano ha reforzado esta concepción, pues considera que "la demanda de educación se deriva de las decisiones óptimas de inversión de individuos racionales" (Schoenenberger, 2005). Lo cual tiene implicaciones en la relación entre las universidades y el Estado, conllevando a una ideología más individualista que sugiere que los graduados obtienen beneficios económicos de su educación universitaria, y en consecuencia, ha hecho que parezca razonable que éstos deban contribuir más a su costo (Popp y Paradisse, 2016); forzando un debate, en esencia, sobre quién obtiene los mayores beneficios -o bienes-de la educación superior, los individuos o la sociedad (Hensley et al, 2013).…”