Abstract
AbstractWith particular, although not exclusive, reference to England, this article explores the appropriateness of describing higher education as a system. It has two main purposes: to explore the grounds for labelling English higher education as a system and to argue that, because this is no longer an appropriate label, a different conceptualisation is required. The central argument is that the structure of higher education is formed through the interaction of the state, market and higher education institutions and is, therefore, a shifting political construct. Furthermore, it will be hypothesised that the English (indeed, the British) model of higher education is better described as an increasingly internally differentiated network of sectors rather than as a system.
Highlights
The focus of this article, with particular reference to higher education in England, is to explore what is meant by ‘a system of higher education’
This article moves beyond these approaches to argue that the key to researching structural change in higher education is the dissection of the evolving relationship between state and market forces as they interact with the institutional alliances that are to be found in the higher education sector
The proposition is that a higher education system is the consequence of a changing relationship evolving out of state regulatory pressures, the demands and opportunities provided by the market and institutional behaviour
Summary
The focus of this article, with particular reference to higher education in England, is to explore what is meant by ‘a system of higher education’. This article moves beyond these approaches to argue that the key to researching structural change in higher education is the dissection of the evolving relationship between state and market forces as they interact with the institutional alliances that are to be found in the higher education sector. It is this relationship that constructs the system. This judgement was arrived at on the basis of his overview of an interesting mix of articles: policy documents, reflective statements from institutional leaders and analytical pieces from both academics and administrators It is the contention of this article that the study of higher education needs to develop a deeper conceptual approach to its research material. We proceed throughout on the assumption that the needs of the present and still more of the future demand that there should be a system. (Committee on Higher Education, 1963, p. 5)
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