Public goods and public policy: what is public good, and who and what decides?

Abstract

Higher education is usually seen as serving the public good, especially when funded directly by the state, and because of the 'social benefit efficiency gains and potential equity effects on opportunity and reduced inequality' (McMahon, 2009, p. 255). Calhoun (2006, p. 19) argues that public support for higher education is only given and maintained according to its capacity, capability, and willingness, to 'educate citizens in general, to share knowledge, to distribute it as widely as possible in accord with publically articulated purposes'. So what is the public good and what defines it? Recent years have seen many governments adopt the format of a national strategy or development plan for higher education-setting out national objectives. Similarly, many governments (e.g. Ireland, Netherlands, Hong Kong, Finland, New Zealand) are adopting the policy tool of performance agreements or compacts to better align higher education institutions (HEIs) with the national objectives, involving identification of appropriate performance management and indicators (Benneworth, et al., 2011; de Boer, et al., 2015). The process by which national objectives are determined varies but may involve a group comprising national and international 'experts', sometimes using consultation mechanisms (open or limited). The concept of public good has played a significant role in (re)positioning higher education over recent years-especially in response to growing demands for greater accountability for all public organisations but also in response to specific concerns about growing higher education access/participation, costs/debt, graduate employability/unemployment, and social/economic impact. This paper takes a practical approach-both in relation to asking 'what is the public good' and 'who defines it'-by looking at how different countries are approaching the issue. The further expansion of higher education is inevitable and essential if we are to fulfil our aspirations as an innovative and knowledge-based economy, and we must ensure that this happens within a coherent policy environment that serves the advancement of knowledge, wider national development and the public good.

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

“…The philosophical tradition of studying the common good dates back to Plato and Aristotle and was further developed in the works of numerous philosophers and political theorists, including Thomas Aquinas, John Locke, Adam Smith, John Stuart Mill, Jacques Maritain, and John Rawls. Although there are significant differences in how the common good is conceptualised within various philosophical and political doctrines, it is generally viewed as a norm which unifies a given (political) community and which is also closely related to Bpublic goods^and Bthe public interest^ (Pusser 2006;Etzioni 2015;Hazelkorn and Gibson 2017).…”

“…See, for example,Marginson's (2016) discussion on the public goods that higher education produces and how it can contribute to the common good, and alsoHazelkorn and Gibson's (2017) discussion of how higher education serves the public good.…”

Regional Economic Favoritism and Redistributive Politics as a Public Good: The Case of Tigray Region in Northern Ethiopia

“…This study attempts to fill this knowledge gap by examining the possible household-level impacts of alleged regional economic favoritism of the last two and half decades, thought to have conferred disproportionate economic benefits upon the northern Ethiopian province of Tigray (McCracken, 2004;Aalen, 2016). It does so by using the neighboring Amhara Region as control and in line with conventional definitions which view redistributive politics as resource allocation favoring one region at the expense of all others (Hazelkorn and Gibson, 2017;Golden and Min, 2013). The focus of Hazelkorn and Gibson's (2017) review was also the unfair allocation of public goods and services to identifiable localities or groups.…”

“…It does so by using the neighboring Amhara Region as control and in line with conventional definitions which view redistributive politics as resource allocation favoring one region at the expense of all others (Hazelkorn and Gibson, 2017;Golden and Min, 2013). The focus of Hazelkorn and Gibson's (2017) review was also the unfair allocation of public goods and services to identifiable localities or groups. We will rely on the summary findings of 150 studies on the subject of public good by Golden and Min (2013) who saw regional favoritism and redistributive politics as the conferring of geographically concentrated benefits while diffusing costs across all regions.…”

A modernização das universidades: Memórias contra o tempo

“…A afirmação da responsabilidade pública da universidade leva-nos a reforçar a sua concepção como "bem público", contrariamente a visões empreendedoras que insistem na sua definição como "bem privado" (Marginson, 2016). Nesse sentido, o debate deve conduzirnos a pensar a universidade e a ciência não apenas para o público, mas sobretudo com o público (Hazelkorn & Gibson, 2017).…”