CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2012
| Author | Geven, Koen |
|---|---|
| Title | 'Equity of What?' Understanding Policy for Equity in Higher Education |
| Summary | Policy-makers are increasingly concerned about inequities in higher education in Central and Eastern Europe. They search for ‘best practices’, for ‘rational’ policy instruments to remedy this supposedly ‘obvious’ problem. Recent philosophical and sociological debates suggest, however, that ‘equity’ is far from an ‘obvious’ problem; in fact, it is a highly contested issue. In line with these debates, I ask the question ‘How do policy-makers in Central and Eastern Europe understand equity in higher education and how does this influence their choice of policy instruments?’ This research question is answered through a qualitative investigation of two cases (Croatia and Romania). I argue that policy-makers can be classified in three normative ‘ideal-types’, namely ‘Meritocrats’, ‘Rawlsians’ and ‘Bourdieuians’. These compete for political influence, but not on a level playing field. As a result, the policy instruments to promote equity in higher education in these countries are largely based on ‘Meritocratic’ and ‘Rawlsian’ ideas, not on more critical perspectives. In conclusion, I argue that inequities in higher education are related to broader inequalities in power relations. An understanding of both is needed if higher education is to be made more equitable. |
| Supervisor | Liviu Matei |
| Department | Public Policy MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2012/geven_koen.pdf |
Visit the CEU Library.
© 2007-2021, Central European University