The Great University Gamble

摘要

This book comprises an in-depth and comprehensive account of the programme of changes to higher education (HE) institutions in England. It goes beyond the widely debated 'headline fees' (p. 4) to lay out the implications in the short, medium and long term of deeper policy and funding changes obscured from the public view, revealing a more troublesome outlook for higher education. Immersing himself in the 'technical side' of higher education provision and undertaking secondary analysis of policy documents, McGettigan sets out to furnish his readers with an overview of the shifting educational landscape. What follows is a precise and systematic account of the measures set in motion by the Coalition government in October 2010 and their potential implications. It covers, in turn, issues of funding, marketization, privatization and financialization. Throughout the text McGettigan rehearses two key arguments: firstly, that the changes under way are inherently damaging to the integrity of the HE system; and secondly, that they are being implemented in a covert manner in order to curtail democratic debate.