Access to Higher Education: Understanding Global Inequalities

Description

This book is the first systematic attempt to examine one of the biggest challenges facing universities and society in the 21st century: how do we create opportunities to allow people from all social backgrounds to benefit from higher education? It examines how policymakers, higher education institutions and civil society organisations are meeting this challenge across the globe. Each chapter focuses on one of 12 countries, including the economically powerful US and Germany, developing nations from Africa and South America and the new higher education 'superpowers' of China and India. Access to Higher Education shows that across these different nations inequalities in higher education participation are common, but their nature differs. It argues for a new, 'nationhood' based approach to understanding why these differences exist.

Graeme Atherton is Head of AccessHE and Director of National Education Opportunities Network, UK. He has been active as a researcher, practitioner and manager in the field of widening access to higher education since 1995. He is also Visiting Professor in Higher Education and Social Mobility Practice at London Metropolitan University and has spoken in over ten countries on widening access including Australia, the USA and Canada.

Highly informative and thought provoking. For readers seeking an anchor text for a comparative systems of higher education course, this is the perfect choice. * Anne Charles, Conestoga College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, Canada * In this book, higher education experts and researchers in 12 countries throughout the world examine how access is being addressed. They portray a picture characterised by contrast and commonality, highlighting the importance of socio-economic structures, national identity and cultural context to understanding access. * Graeme Atherton, IAU Horizons, Vol. 22 (2) * The book provides a panorama of policy examples. The contributing papers provide insight from within; each author chronicles examples from their own country, describing policy initiatives situated within context ... It is highly informative and thought provoking. For readers seeking an anchor text for a comparative systems of higher education course, this is a perfect choice. * Anne C. Charles, Canadian Journal of Higher Education, Vol 48 (1) *