From conceptualisation to measurement of higher education as a common good: challenges and possibilities

Abstract

The article aims to outline a theoretical framework for conceptualising higher education as a common good, as well as to reveal the empirical manifestations of this phenomenon. It argues that the extent to which higher education as a common good is accomplished in a given society/country reflects the accessibility, availability, and affordability of higher education, in addition to the commitment to this goal made by society and all its influential actors. Building on this conceptualisation and using data from various sources for 13 European countries, the authors develop a composite index which measures the extent to which higher education as a common good is implemented in a given country. The results indicate substantial crosscountry differences, with Northern Europe scoring most highly. They also demonstrate that higher education as a common good is a complex phenomenon with differences within the country ranks, as well, depending on the varying dimensions considered. Finally, by applying cluster analysis, the article identifies four distinctive clusters of countries with regard to the accomplishment of higher education as a common good, designated as reality, feasible, ambiguous, and problematic. The index developed here can be used to assess the effectiveness of national policies in the sphere of higher education across Europe.

Doing well by doing good: why is investing in university social responsibility a good business for higher education institutions cross culturally?

“…Likewise, achieving a higher level of loyalty from such initiatives must be through (current and prospective) student satisfaction and identification with the university, as well as a higher perception of university image, service quality and reputation. Our findings complement previous studies stressing that universities engaging in socially responsible addressing the mission and specific purpose of higher education result in a higher perception of service quality leading to higher levels of student satisfaction (Boyadjieva and Ilieva-Trichkova, 2018; Ripatti-Torniainen, 2018). Consequently, investing in USR initiatives that specifically contribute to students' development increases the university's attractiveness for current and prospective students, positively influencing university competitiveness.…”

Measurement of sustainable higher education development: Evidence from China

“…Efforts have been made to evaluate SHED from different perspectives, but the approaches to measure SHED are still one of the main issues to be discussed [37]. Scholars have conducted a variety of studies on this topic via qualitative or quantitative approaches.…”

A New Framework to Evaluate Sustainable Higher Education: An Analysis of China

“…In detail, reputational comments from the academic communities or the public-identified as communication results-can be considered to evaluate sustainable higher education [30]. Besides, the benefits of human beings from sustainable higher education, such as equal opportunities and inclusive environment to receive higher education and equal chances to participate in sustainable higher education-related activities, are discussed as the evaluation aspects [2,31,32]. In addition, competitive sustainable higher education is affected by the dynamic changes of industrial structures, social value, population, etc., thus whether higher education is modified in accordance with the changing trends and is developing efficiently and effectively should be considered and evaluated [33][34][35].…”