State Funding For Higher Education Research Articles

The Impact of State Funding of Higher Education on Employment and Living Standards in Georgia

State financing of higher education is crucial for promoting innovation and competition, as well as guaranteeing equal opportunities and access to education. This financing facilitates the development of students' potential by providing them with the necessary skills and information to enhance graduation rates and social well-being. Scholarships and grants are implemented to improve student access to education by aligning the financial system with the demands of the job market and educational developments. The aim of the study is to evaluate the impact of financing higher education in Georgia on employment of graduates and well-being of the population. The results of the survey of entrants and students reveal that public awareness of state-funded higher education programs in Georgia is quite low (47.2%). A large part of the graduates (47,8%) provided with various types of state funding during their studies are not employed in their specialty. The impact of the increase in the expenditure on education on the increase in the income of the population is quite low (0.23%). The research concludes that the allocation of public funds for higher education in Georgia does not effectively match the capabilities of graduates with the demands of the labour market. The reason for the mentioned inconsistency is that the requirements of the labor market were not taken into account when determining the directions to be financed. In addition, it is important to note that the demands of the labor market change every year in accordance with the current challenges, therefore the employer also demands relevant skills immediately, which cannot be met by higher education institutions in a short period of time. Despite the above, the involvement of employers in the process of developing educational programs is low and it is mostly formal in nature. When determining the priority educational programs, there is no periodic revision of the directions so that it is adapted to the demands of the labor market. It is necessary to establish partnership relations between employers, higher educational institutions and the state in order to take into account the requirements of the labor market both in the development of educational programs and in the determination of priority educational directions. Enhancing transparency and emphasising practical training in key areas are essential for enhancing the program's efficacy and enhancing the career chances of graduates. These modifications will provide a more favourable return on investment for state education expenditure. Keywords: higher education, state financing, employment, living standards

Scenarios of the innovative development of education in the context of the Russian economy’s modernization: entrepreneurial universities vs. high-tech universities

The article is aimed at identifying the scenarios of the innovative development of education in the context of the Russian economy’s modernization through the opposition of entrepreneurial universities and high-tech universities. The authors conduct a system econometric analysis. The scenario analysis showed that the strategic prospects (optimistic, long-term scenario) of the innovative development of education to support the modernization of the Russian economy through the optimization of universities’ activities require the upgrading of equipment by 982.51% for increasing the research activities to 10269.44% (compared to the threshold), which will bring Russian universities to the 1st place in the QS ranking. In the medium-term period, the share of modern (less than 5 years old) equipment in Russian universities should tend to be 90%. As it is shown by a probable and promising scenario, this will improve the position of the Russian universities in the QS ranking by 6.17%. It is proved that only high-tech universities contribute to the innovative development of education in the context of the Russian economy’s modernization. Therefore, the reduction of state funding of higher education and science makes no sense in Russia, as well as the development of entrepreneurial universities. Instead, the focus should be on the upgrading of university equipment. The originality of this paper lies in a new vision of the prospects for the development of the system of higher education in Russia in the Decade of Science and Technology (2022–2031). This new vision is as follows: for the innovative development of education in the context of the Russian economy’s modernization, it is necessary to refuse the diversification of universities and to achieve their unification, making a choice either in favor of entrepreneurial universities or in favor of high-tech universities.

“One of the Weakest Budget Players in the State”: State Funding of Higher Education at the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Prior studies have documented the pattern of decreased state funding for higher education in periods of economic contraction (i.e., the balance wheel phenomenon). This qualitative case study examines how policymakers in California and Texas made decisions about funding higher education at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, when policymakers faced an economic downturn. Data comprise 28 interviews with key state actors and 69 documents. The analysis expands prior understandings of how state policymakers make budgeting decisions that affect higher education by exploring how they perceive certain target populations as deserving or undeserving of state support. The study also sheds light on the tenuous relationship between policymakers’ views of higher education and their funding decisions.

INTERNATIONALIZATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE CONTEXT OF RECOVERY OF UKRAINE: GOALS AND CHALLENGES

The goal of the study is the analysis of Recovery Plan of Ukraine (draft) on the topic of internationalisation of higher education, its goals and their fulfilment. Goal 4 Internationalization of higher education of Ukraine includes the following steps: introduction of online admission of foreigners to Ukrainian universities on a regular basis; determination of priority measures for learning English; bringing the list of fields of knowledge into compliance with ISCED (stage 1: June 2022 – the end of 2022). To achieve the above goal, several methods have been used, including an internet search, analysis, systematization of evident information. It was found that Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine provides the regulatory framework for fulfilling goals of the first stage. At the same time it is stated that it is necessary to: approve electronic invitation form; register (registration and issuance by HEIs) electronic invitations using the means of a single interdepartmental electronic platform; interact regarding the approval of electronic invitations; keep records of electronic invitations; introduce the Law of Ukraine «On Employment of the Population» regarding the work of foreigners and stateless persons pursuing higher education in Ukraine; ratify the Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education (2019). The increase in the volume of state funding of higher education in Ukraine in the conditions of recovery from the consequences of the war with russia compared to the pre-war period is not realistic. The number of Ukrainian and foreign applicants to HEIs will decrease.

Democratic Backsliding and the Balance Wheel Hypothesis: Partisanship and State Funding for Higher Education in the United States.

The balance wheel hypothesis—a classic tenet of USA state-level policy analysis that suggests state funding for higher education varies in response to macroeconomic cycles—has held up to scrutiny over time. However, new social conditions within the Republican Party, namely growing hostility toward independent institutions, call for a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between state budgets and higher education. Drawing on recent research in political science and political economy, we conceptualize declining state appropriations to higher education in Republican-dominated U.S. states as an instance of democratic backsliding. Using a panel of state-level data we found that political partisanship conditioned state appropriations to higher education during and after the Great Recession. Our finding that the balance wheel operated differently in states with and without unified Republican control not only suggests partisan hostility toward higher education is a potentially worrisome indicator of democratic backsliding, but also the importance of updating models to consider the extent to which they still hold as contexts change over time.

DIVERSIFICATION OF SOURCES OF FINANCING HIGHER EDUCATION: THE EXPERIENCE OF REFORM IN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

The exacerbation of the shortage of financial resources in the current global challenges has necessitated increased efficiency in the financing of higher education institutions. Along with the increase in funding, diversification of sources and transformation of funding mechanisms for higher education systems have become topical issues. The study attempted to identify the internal structure of public funding for higher education in Europe concerning funding mechanisms. According to the results of clustering of European countries based on coverage of the population with higher education and public spending on higher education by one undergraduate, eight clusters were identified, four of which are unique and contain one country (Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Luxembourg). Four other clusters cover countries with: incomplete public funding for higher education; state protectionism in the financing of higher education; specific forms of state funding for higher education; strategic state priority in financing higher education. The general patterns of financing higher education in European countries, the experience of expanding funding sources, efficient use of financial resources and granting autonomy to universities, which can be taken into account in the process of higher education reforms in countries with transformational economies.

College Costs and Credit Cards: How Student Credit Card Use Influences College Degree Attainment

Since the turn of the twenty-first century, going to college has become increasingly financially difficult in the United States. Tuition prices continued to rise, state funding for higher education declined, and the mean family income declined or stagnated for all but the top 20 percent of families (Goldrick-Rab 2016). In a period where college has risen to be the preeminent way Americans can make a better life for themselves, it is becoming more difficult for Americans to pay for college. Financial aid does not cover as much of the price of college as it once did (Goldrick-Rab 2016), and college students are relying on financing methods like student loans more than ever before. Student loans, however, are not the only credit-based financial strategy college students use to pay for college (Manning 2000, 2005). With the explosion of consumer credit access from the 1980s to the 2000s, college students are using credit cards, many times to bridge gaps in their budgets as they try to pay for college. This paper utilizes data from the Education Longitudinal Study (2002–12) to examine the link between college student credit card use and bachelor's degree attainment and demonstrates that college students who carry a balance on their credit card from month to month have a lower likelihood of completing a bachelor’s degree, net of other important factors. Research in the fields of financial counseling and planning, consumer studies, public policy, sociology, and health has explored college student credit card spending behaviors, associated health and educational outcomes, and the influence of family backgrounds on credit card use. This paper extends this existing body of research by considering how college student credit card use influences educational outcomes.

Degrees of Support: State Spending on Higher Education and Public Postsecondary Degrees across State Legislatures, 2005 and 2014

U.S. state spending on higher education represents a sizable, but highly variable, portion of budget expenditures. Preliminary research supports a positive relationship between the percentage of state legislators who hold public degrees and state funding for higher education. In this study, the authors test whether this finding is consistent over time by using panel modeling to analyze the educational compositions of state legislatures in 2005 and 2014. Generalized least squares regression models with robust standard errors clustered by state- and year-specific intercepts indicate a significantly positive relationship between the proportion of publicly educated state legislators and state spending on higher education. This relationship is consistent across models with numerous robustness checks and political, economic, and structural controls. Given the smaller number of publicly educated legislators in 2014, the findings suggest that spending on higher education would have increased to a larger extent had the educational composition of the legislatures remained constant.

The role and criteria of public financing of higher education

This article considers the process of public funding of higher education with the account of international experience. Theoretically, the content of higher education is considered. Public and personal benefits in higher education determine it as a quasipublic good. World practice testifies to state financing of higher education. In the countries of the world, the state fully or partially finances higher education. The determining factor in human capital is higher education. State grants for higher education are in the form of vouchers and are applied on the principle of "money followed by the student." But there is a peculiarity of the implementation of the principle, which consists in securing the state educational grant to the institution of higher education chosen by the еnrollee. At the same time, social risks and burdens including psychological, stressful on enrollee were identified that necessitate a “reset” of the State Grants Program and the education system as a whole after COVID 19. In education, the necessity of changing the course from memorizing academic knowledge to the logic of thinking, acquiring professional competencies. Relatively low results of participation of Kazakhstanis in international comparative studies PISA, PIAAC, ICILS are presented. The relatively low level of education of Kazakhstani youth is systemic in nature. State funding of higher education is primarily desirable for secondary school graduates from low-income families.

State funding of higher education as a factor of ensuring its quality: experience of the European countries

The article presents a comparative analysis of state funding of higher education as a factor of its effectiveness in European countries. The analysis is conducted on the example of countries where the share of state budget expenditures on education no less than 11%.The assumption that education is the main factor in the formation of a responsible citizens capable to provide the job themselves, and to provide qualified professionals for the country, that means to promote economic and cultural growth, is taken as a basis of the article.The structure of state expenditures on education in general and the amount of higher education funding in countries under consideration is analyzed.The correlation between the amount of expenditures on higher education and the indicators of the quality index of the higher education system QS World University Rankings is analyzed. Also the correlation analysis between other indexes, that characterize the general level of human development and quality of business as a result of public investment in training of highly qualified specialists, is done.

The effectiveness of state financing of higher education

Topicality of the research subject. The government authorities are concerned about higher education as human capital is being formed in this area.This concern is lessening as macroeconomic indicators show a lack of economic opportunities. Statement of the problem. Limited state funding for higher education requires improved spending of budget funds. Analysis of the recent research and publications. The state funding of higher education is considered at the macro- and micro levels from different angles. Selection of the unresearched parts of the general problem. There is no link between state funding of higher education at the macro level and the use of government funds at the micro level. Statement of the task and the purpose of the research. The method for the assessment of the finance provision of higher education has been improved, which makes it possible to achieve congruence between the mechanism of state order and the choice of educational services by consumers. Method or methodology of the research. A method for assessing the effectiveness of the financial provision of higher education in the space that has the parameters of “educational degree” and “field of knowledge” has been proposed. Statement of the basic material (results of the work). The low effectiveness of the use of state financial resources in relation to specialties and institutions of higher education of Poltava region has been determined. In the segment of “junior specialists” 113 places of the state order were not selected, and in the segment of “bachelors” – 98 places of state order. For most specialties in the segments the license amount did not correspond to the amount of state orders. The segments of the market of educational services differed significantly as to the state order. In the segment of “junior specialists” the share of the state budget places in the amount of demand was 85.16%, the share in the segment of “bachelors” – 60.24%, and in the segment of “masters” – 36.17%. The state stimulated potential consumers with the help of the state order to buy educational services. The state did not fund the realization of the HEI potential, encouraging them to commercialize educational programs. Field of application of results. The field of higher education. Conclusions. The proposed assessment methodology enables determining the effectiveness of the use of the state financial resources for specialties and institutions of higher education and the selection of possible alternative models for the distribution of the state order for their further financing.

History of the department “construction and road machines”

The article presents the meek history of the creation and formation of the Department of Construction and Road Machines. In recent years, the department has changed its course towards increasing the efficiency of the educational process and scientific activity. Under the leadership of L.A. Khmara and with his direct participation, the department created and successfully operates a graduation design hall, specialized auditoriums for lecturing, conducting laboratory and practical exercises, a building machine simulator room, a building machines demonstration center at the test site. For the first time, a specialized laboratory was created and equipped to conduct laboratory and practical exercises in the discipline “Lifting, transporting and transport equipment”. A specialized laboratory was equipped for laboratory work on the course “Machines for earthwork”. For the first time, a laboratory was also equipped to demonstrate the work of a mechanized tool. A branch of the Department of Construction and Road Machines has been opened and is successfully operating on the basis of Trade House Armada LTD. At the present time, when the state funding of higher education has sharply decreased, the established ties between universities and production are breaking down and disintegrating for years and decades, problems arise with the preparation and distribution of students and graduate students, complicated by the outflow of talented young people into commercial structures and by their departure to work abroad on a permanent or on a temporary basis due to the low standard of living, the Department of Construction and Road Machines is actively working, reliably maintaining the priority and image of one of the leading departments of industrial engineering.

Higher Education in Emergencies: The Case of Consociational North Macedonia

Eighteen years after the end of 2001 conflict between ethnic Macedonians and ethnic Albanians, North Macedonia remains a country deeply polarized along ethno-national lines with implications for the maintenance of peace. The peace-building policies introduced by the Ohrid Framework Agreement (OFA) based on a consociational model of power-sharing have accommodated the demands of ethnic Albanians, including the right of access to higher education (HE) in the mother-tongue which represented one of the root-causes in the escalation of the 2001 conflict. The OFA’s exclusive focus on access and availability through state funding for higher education in the Albanian language has however favored a process of ethnicization of the tertiary sector. This paper seeks to investigate the unintended consequences of the OFA-induced ethnic self-ghettoisation within the public higher education system and, by the same token, it critiques the OFA’s lack of mechanisms to reach across the ethnic divide through the lenses of a rights-based approach to education. It ultimately argues that without a strong governmental commitment to deethnicize education by transcending the OFA’s intrinsic limits, power-sharing remains permeable to political manipulation which critically hampers social transformation and increases the probability of inter-ethnic tension, further weakening the peace process.

Declining Budgetary Allocation to Higher Education in The United States: Causes and Consequences for Economic Development

In recent times, there has been a consistent decrease in the amount of state budgets for higher education in the United States of America. This calls for great concern as higher education must compete with several other state budget items for funding. Also, more individuals need to possess workforce credentials and college degrees for the country to remain competitive in today’s economy. In the light of the critical role of education in socio-economic development, this paper elaborates on the importance of prioritizing education and increasing state funding for higher education. The study revealed in the literature that higher education is a foundation for productivity improvement and economic growth, and that countries that invest heavily in education and skills, benefit economically and socially from that choice. As a result, the study calls on lawmakers and policy formulators to make provisions for high-quality, affordable and accessible higher education by increasing the funding to pursue college education. As the world continues to change and becomes increasingly interdependent, the United States of America cannot afford to rest on its historic record as the world’s leader in educational attainment. Keywords : Higher Education, Budget, State, Funding, Expenditure, Economics, Development DOI: 10.7176/JESD/11-10-12 Publication date: May 31 st 2020

Supplement or Supplant? Estimating the Impact of State Lottery Earmarks on Higher Education Funding

In the wake of declining state support for higher education, many state leaders have adopted lottery earmark policies, which designate lottery revenue to higher education budgets as an alternative funding mechanism. However, despite the ubiquity of lottery earmarks for higher education, it remains unclear whether this new source of revenue serves to supplement or supplant state funding for higher education. In this paper, we use a difference-in-differences design for the years 1990–2009 to estimate the impact on state appropriations and state financial aid levels of designating lottery earmark funding to higher education. Main findings indicate that lottery earmark policies are associated with a 5 percent increase in higher education appropriations, and a 135 percent increase in merit-based financial aid. However, lottery earmarks are also associated with a decrease in need-based financial aid of approximately 12 percent. These findings have serious distributional implications that should be considered when state lawmakers adopt lottery earmark policies for higher education.

Does "free" higher education in South Africa make economic sense? Views of commerce students

Abstract Student protests demanding ‘free’ higher education at South Africa universities in 2015 is a reminder that there are still a lot of unresolved issues regarding the inequalities due to the apartheid era in the higher education system. Some of these issues include insufficient state funding of higher education, the increase of tuition fee and unpaid student debt. Even though ‘free’ higher education sounds appealing, the question is whether implementing ‘free’ higher education would make economic sense in South Africa. The study aimed to investigate the perceptions of commerce students at one South African university regarding the economic feasibility of ‘free’ higher education and how it might affect the South African economy. The research aimed to give a descriptive analysis of the perceptions of commerce students and were empirically investigated by means of a questionnaire, containing both open and closed questions. Gaining understanding into student perceptions can be invaluable, as they are considered the livelihood of higher education institutions. The results show that the respondents do not think that ‘free’ higher education make economic sense in South Africa as the economy is too weak and there is too much corruption and wasteful spending in government. The respondents also indicated that the economy will mostly be negatively affected by ‘free’ higher education in that there will be an increase of the financial burden on the South African economy and tax payer. They also regard other government services to be of greater importance than implementing ‘free’ higher education. The results of this study are not necessarily generalisable beyond the scope of the particular institution, but the findings do create a platform for the continued debate on the importance, economic feasibility and implementation of ‘free’ higher education in South Africa.

School spirit: Legislator school ties and state funding for higher education

We explore a new mechanism to understand state funding for public colleges and universities by leveraging data on the educational experiences of state legislators, specifically if and where they received postsecondary education. Using novel, hand-collected data from 2002 through 2014, we provide comprehensive documentation – for the first time in the literature – on the educational backgrounds of state legislators. We find a statistically significant, positive association between the share of legislators who attended their states' public institutions and state funding for their entire public higher-education system. We also find a similar positive relationship between the share of state legislators who attended particular campuses of the state's public university system and funding for those campuses. This relationship is more pronounced among publicly educated legislators who represent legislative districts close to their alma mater's district, and becomes most consequential when the legislator's district contains his or her alma mater. We discuss the implications of our findings for academic studies on how politics and legislators' personal experiences influence support for higher education.

Patterns and Volatility in State Funding for Higher Education, 1951–2006

BackgroundNumerous studies have addressed the determinants of higher education appropriations. Extending prior studies that only consider the relationship between higher education and one other state budget category, Delaney and Doyle develop and test an empirical model of the relationship between higher education and all other budget categories. Delaney and Doyle propose that higher education takes the form of a balance wheel in state budgets. They find that higher education is cut more than other budget categories in bad budget years and given larger increases in good budget years. Although previous work advances understanding of how states budget for higher education, it is limited in the length of time considered.PurposeThis study makes two important contributions to the literature. First, it documents changes in the amount of volatility in state funding for higher education. Second, it identifies patterns in the volatility, and does so over a longer time period than has been investigated in past research, using data that spans over a half century (1951–2006).Research DesignThis study uses a unique panel dataset spanning the period from 1951 to 2006 to quantitatively document changes in the extent of volatility in state funding for higher education. It also identifies and tests for patterns of volatility.FindingsWe find that the level of volatility in state budgeting for higher education has changed over time. We also find evidence of linear (incremental), quadratic (countercyclical), and cubic (balance wheel) patterns of volatility at different points in time.RecommendationsOur findings indicate that the role of higher education in state budgets is not static and has varied over time. In policy discussions about higher education funding, we think it is important to consider both absolute funding levels and the amount of volatility in funding. We recommend that higher education leaders discuss not only funding levels with their state legislatures, but also discuss volatility in funding patterns. States and higher education have operated under different funding relationships in the past; therefore, it seems possible that policymakers and higher education officials could change their current funding relationship to conform to a pattern that better serves the needs of the state, institutions, and students.

Getting Ahead by Spending More? Local Community Response to State Merit Aid Programs

In more than half of U.S. states over the past two decades, the implementation of merit aid programs has dramatically reduced net tuition expenses for college-bound students who attend in-state colleges. Although the intention of these programs was to improve access to enrollment for high-achieving students, it is possible that they had unanticipated effects. We analyze whether state funding for higher education and K-12 education changed as a result of program implementation, and whether local school districts attempt to counter any such changes. We employ two methodologies to study whether this has been the case: a difference-in-differences model and a synthetic control estimation strategy. We find robust evidence that implementation of state merit aid programs led to an economically (and statistically) significant decline in state funding for K-12 education, which was mostly offset through increases in local revenues by school districts. These results have important implications for understanding how merit aid policies could have unintended consequences for the students they aim to support.

Obtaining Resources for Your Kinesiology Department

ABSTRACTHigher education governance today is a complex endeavor that demands dynamic, creative, and thoughtful communication, actions, and leadership. Given the continually diminishing level of state funding for higher education, leaders at all levels should be equipped to generate and lobby for funds internally (within their university) and externally (with external donors and stakeholders). The purpose of this article is to outline some principles of effective internal and external resource generation (e.g., submitting requests with data, developing short speeches or written documents about your primary initiatives, thinking like an entrepreneur, and utilizing committee expertise). Focusing on fundraising can augment departmental resources to help its programs, people, and initiatives. The article is divided into three important sections: (a) the changing landscape of American higher education and how this “brave new world” has led to the need to generate additional funding, (b) strategies for generating internal resources (i.e., within your university), and (c) strategies for generating external resources (i.e., fundraising). Expanding your knowledge base about ways to increase revenue for your unit is one leadership skill that will serve you well throughout your administrative career—regardless of your level of leadership.