Affirmative action policy: Inclusion, exclusion, and the global public good

Abstract

Social inclusion policy in higher education—also referenced as affirmative action, reservations, schedules, or antidiscrimination—has been used widely to promote equity and access for minority and historically discriminated subgroups who wish to participate in tertiary education. Inclusion is often protected de jure through a country’s constitution. Even so, the effects of the legislation vary according to the context within which it was instituted. This article offers a comparative review of the historical and legal evolution of social inclusion in higher education in Brazil, India, South Africa, and the United States and the educational outcomes created by systems of social inclusion around the world. The development and impacts of these policies are discussed within the frameworks of social inclusion and critical legal studies to suggest that social inclusion policy links higher education to its place.