Is the University a Public Good? Professor W. John

Transcript:Is the University a Public Good? Professor W. John:
Is the University a Public Good? Professor W. John Morgan UNESCO Chair of Political Economy and Education, University of Nottingham The Idea of a University ‘Educating Leaders for 800 years!’ Poster advertising the University of Oxford outside Oxford railway station. What does this tell us about the changing ‘Idea of a University’ ? In Europe and North America, we associate this traditionally with: John Henry Newman and with Wilhelm von Humboldt. The ‘Idea’ was the social reproduction of élites assumed to serve the public good. What is the Public Good? The modern university has evolved in parallel with changing definitions of the public good. According to early liberal theory, for instance, J.S. Mill, it was a good provided either because it was of benefit to the community as a whole or could or should not be provided privately e.g. national defence. As states and societies became more complex in terms of regulation and of welfare provision so the definition changed. What is the Public Good? Policies were justified as claims upon public wealth either because of the specific benefits provided to recipients identified as being in need of state support e.g. student grants or because of the general benefits perceived for society as a whole e.g. an educated population. This was the dominant view that paralleled and supported the growth of the modern university. What is the Public Good? Neo-liberalism has challenged this. It argues that, economically, private investment and provision produces outcomes that are superior to those of public investment and provision. It argues also that, morally, individuals (and communities) should have the choice that this alternative provides. What is the Public Good? Neo-liberalism argues that the combined social benefit from economic efficiency and choice leads in practice to a greater aggregate public good. It does not, however, take into consideration the impact on normative issues such as equality and social justice. What is the effect of this on the relationship between the contemporary university and the public good? The Contemporary University The contemporary university may be said to have three basic social functions. These are its contributions to: Human and social development in all its forms. Knowledge and learning societies. Economic development and employment. This includes entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship. The Contemporary University There is no longer a single organizational model. This raises questions of quality, relevance and capacity. The need for social cohesion means that public policy