Higher education is growing most rapidly in the Asia-Pacific region, and policy makers are facing the task of balancing quality and quantity. This book will help readers understand the current situation of higher education not only in this region but everywhere that they may work.' - Shinichi Yamamoto, Hiroshima University, Japan

Higher education is growing most rapidly in the Asia-Pacific region, and policy makers are facing the task of balancing quality and quantity. This book will help readers understand the current situation of higher education not only in this region but everywhere that they may work.' - Shinichi Yamamoto, Hiroshima University, Japan

This volume seeks to identify and explore the forces affecting higher education in the Asia Pacific region today. It includes a set of conceptually-rich organizing chapters followed by detailed country-specific studies that detail both the underlying dynamics of these forces and the manner in which they have affected specific countries. In this way, the chapters touch on the complex demographics of the region, how continued and continuous economic development impinges on higher education, and how neoliberalism has affected higher education across many dimensions. The volume also addresses the complex issues associated with cross border education and the daunting challenges of both national and cross-national quality assurance.

The demand for higher education worldwide is booming. Governments want well-educated citizens and knowledge workers but are scrambling for funds. The capacity of the public sector to provide increased and equitable access to higher education is seriously challenged. What are the on-the-ground realities of developing financial resources and policies to meet the twin goals of equity and access without jeopardizing quality? This volume provides in-depth reports from selected countries and sub-regions: Morocco, Korea, England, Uganda, Poland, Oman, East and southern Africa, Southeast Asia, Brazil, and Egypt. Each chapter is written by a seasoned educator participating in the Fulbright New Century Scholar program for 2007-2008. Given the near-universal constraints of declining resources but increasing enrollments, the authors identify common trends such as the public/private divide, the privatization of the public sector, and diversification of funding. To address these issues, the chapters examine a surprising variety of policy instruments such as means testing, targeted subsidies, cost sharing, institutional aid, student bursaries, and tax exemptions.

This edited volume offers empirical, evaluative, and philosophical perspectives on the question of higher education as a human right in the Asia Pacific. Throughout the region, higher education has grown rapidly in a variety of ways. Price, accessibility, mobility, and government funding are all key areas of interest, which likely shape the degree to which higher education may be viewed as a human right. Although enrollments continue to grow in many higher education systems, protests related to fees and other equity issues continue to grow. This volume will include scholarly perspectives from around the region for a more extensive understanding of higher education as a human right in the Asia Pacific.

This edited volume provides a framework for understanding academic public good and offers case studies and perspectives as in depth examples of the ways in which colleges and universities engage with the community to produce social benefits. Focusing on the Asia Pacific region, the authors discuss examples of engagement that produce consciousness, partnerships, and services that are broadly available to the public and enhance the progress of society. The authors argue that, unlike an individual degree, these are public benefits that should be focused upon and featured more readily so that the breadth of university benefits come to be better understood.

The purpose of this volume is to help jump-start an urgently needed conversation about fairness and justice in access to higher education to counteract the ubiquitous mantras of neoliberal globalization and managerialism. The book seeks to carve out a strong moral and normative basis for opposing mainstream developments that engender increasing inequality and market-dependency in higher education. The book’s chapters consider how different national communities channel access to higher education, what their “implicit social contracts” are, and what outcomes are produced by different policies and methods. The book is essential reading for scholars of higher education and students concerned with increasing inequality in a globalizing educational marketplace.