Higher Education and the MarketEdition 1

The introduction of market forces into higher education is the most crucial issue facing universities and colleges today. As the role of universities in the knowledge society becomes ever more apparent, and as public funding reaches its limit, marketisation has become an issue of critical importance. Discussions about the ever-increasing cost of tuition, affordability, access, university rankings, information, and the commercialization of academic research take place not just in North America, Western Europe and Australasia, but also in Eastern Europe, Asia and Latin America.

Higher Education and the Market provides a comprehensive account of this phenomenon, and looks at its likely impact on key dimensions of university activity:

• system structure
• funding and resources
• the curriculum
• participation and achievement
• research and scholarship
• interactions with third parties.

Contributors propose how market forces, government intervention and academic self-regulation can be combined to harness the benefits of increased competition and efficiency without losing the public good. It is of particular interest to government and institutional leaders, policy makers, researchers and students studying higher education.