Bedford Way Papers: Browne and Beyond (PDF)

Reflecting the changing ideological and economic perspectives of the government of the day, the expansion of higher education in England has prompted numerous reforms aimed at reshaping and restructuring the sector and its funding. Leading to student riots and sparking some of the sharpest controversies in British higher education, the reforms introduced in 2012/13 are by far the most radical, and those concerning higher education funding and student finances the most far-reaching. This book seeks to unpack the drivers for the reforms while locating them in a broad historical, ideological, and policy context. Informed by the vast literature and research on higher education, this book brings together recognized experts, including leading academics and policy analysts. One strand of chapters provides history and context while another examines particular issues and themes, including: historical antecedents of the reforms and tuition fee policies; the distinctive characteristics of the reforms; an economic critique of the limits to marketization and the commodification of higher education; the drivers behind social mobility and widening participation and the subsequent impact of tuition fees; the consequences of fee-setting policies among institutions; the impact on part-time students; the entrance of new providers in the higher education sector; the impact on institutional autonomy and freedom; and the policy vacuum on postgraduate education and the future of research. While the reforms have attracted significant media coverage focusing on their short-term consequences, this book goes far beyond the media headlines to identify the nature of the reforms and to understand their impact on higher education institutions, students, and society as a whole.