The U.S. Student Loan Debt Crisis: State Crime or State-Produced Harm?

Abstract

The unprecedented US$1.64 trillion level of student loan debt in the United States can be linked to the neoliberal process of privatization of higher education. But is the U.S. student loan debt crisis a state crime? This article examines the social harm student loan debt has caused; proposes an explanation for the shift to debt-financed, commodified public higher education; reveals government disinvestment in public higher education; details the transition of public higher education as a public good to higher education as a commodity financed with debt; and describes Obama administration reforms and De Vos/Trump administration attempts at policy rollback and further privatization. I situate the U.S. student loan debt crisis case in recent debates about crime, social harm, and zemiology.