Finance and Provision in Higher Education

Abstract

This chapter examines to what extent there has been a shift away from public provision and funding in higher education in OECD countries in the past decade. It first focuses on relative enrolments in the public and private sectors to show that enrolments in the public sector have not significantly declined, and only marginally benefited the private for-profit sector. It then analyses changes in the funding of tertiary education from the perspectives of tertiary education institutions, students and governments. It shows that only students have experienced a shift away from public funding. Finally, the paper points to other possible reasons for the perceived decline of the public model of higher education.