Research Blog #4

Erica Kim

Professor Goeller

Research and Disciplines: College!

17 October 2016

Research Proposal

Working Title: The Battle Between Neoliberalist and Socialist Ideals

Topic

I will be exploring the effects of government roles on higher education. This paper will talk about the similarities and or differences in higher education leaning towards neoliberalism and higher education in a more socialistic environment. Neoliberalism is tied to the privatization of higher education as they both discuss the shift in attitudes of the student being treated as a client. Socialism is similar to capitalism where owners are able to have private property but the role of the state is to act in the interests of the general public, while in neoliberalism, the role of the state is in the interests of the markets.  

Research Question

Are neoliberalistic practices in the United States changing the nature of higher education to cater more towards consumers rather than act as a public good? What role of government benefits students more in terms of happiness and future success: socialism or neoliberalism?

Theoretical Frame:

Neoliberalism is shaped by the idea that the value of the market is greater than the interests of the public. Another key term is socialism, the theory that calls for the distribution of wealth and power in the focus of the good of the public. The Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education (NOKUT) is a very important establishment when discussing Norwegian education. As an independent group, they create or test qualifications of higher education universities in Norway. One article that I will be using, discusses ‘publication points’ which are the amount of funding from the EU that universities are able to obtain.

Case:

My question focuses on whether the neoliberal shift in higher education causes a decrease in the original values of higher education. In “The worldwide trend to high participation higher education: dynamics of social stratification in inclusive systems” by Simon Marginson, the author speaks about the increase in HPS or high participation systems spreading to less affluent countries and about how the drive for higher education is fueled by families to who with to advance in their social position. This article will give me ways to evaluate the differences between the American higher education system and the Nordic model. Another text I would like to use would be “Flip the System” by Jelmer Evers and Rene Kneyber. Although I have had the chance to read it yet, in the brief excerpt, the authors speak of teachers arounds the world as higher education leans towards a more economic approach. An interesting topic that Evers and Kneyber bring up is about the standardization of tests and practices that have become the main way that higher education can seem more ‘transparent’ in a sense of showing the progress that it has. However, do we place so much significance on test scores that the students are either not enjoying their studies or are only memorizing what is required for the exams? In “Fighting Fog – The Case of Creeping Neoliberalism and Weakening University Democracy in Norway” by Silje Andresen, Levon Epremian, Thomas Jakobsen, Michael Jones and Hilde Refstie, the authors discuss the quantitative way of measuring the quality of education. By discussing about the ‘publication points’ and using that as a way to measure the success and growth of a university, students earning credits are the only performance measures for professors. Does this socialist environment foster the growth of critical thinking and creativity? In another article with personal perspective, “The Norwegian Education Crisis: Unified vs Quality” the author discusses how the education system in Norway may not be the best and the government is striving to go forward with a better New Quality education that would foster competitive students. In the near future, I would like to add statistics either about the graduation rate of those who enter higher education and the overall happiness of the students. In an article, Students’ test scores tell us more about the community they live in than what they know”, the author speaks about how standardized tests are not the answer in measuring the efficiency and productiveness of schools. In the PISA 2015 Student’s Well Being Report, it states that students from the United States are 1.8% more satisfied with life in the tier of 9-10 in a scale of 0 to 10 where 0 means worst possible life while 10 is the best possible life. However, with the World Happiness Report in 2017, it shows that within the last year, overall happiness has fallen in America, while Norway has become number one in happiness. In the Report, happiness is ranked by factors such as: freedom, health, income, and good governance. I believe through these articles and reports, I will be able to have a conversation between neoliberalist and socialist roles of government on the happiness and overall wellbeing of students pursuing degrees in higher education.

Working Bibliography

Andresen, Silje, et al. “Fighting Fog – The Case of Creeping Neoliberalism and Weakening University Democracy in Norway.” Krisis, Sociologie and Krisis, 2015, krisis.eu/fighting-fog-the-case-of-creeping-neoliberalism-and-weakening-university-democracy-in-norway/.

Christopher Tienken. “Students' test scores tell us more about the community they live in than what they know.” The Conversation, The Conversation US, Inc., 5 July 2017, 1854, theconversation.com/students-test-scores-tell-us-more-about-the-community-they-live-in-than-what-they-know-77934.

Helliwell, J., Layard, R., & Sachs, J. (2017). World Happiness Report 2017, New York: Sustainable Development Solutions Network.

Lay, J. “The Norwegian Education Crisis: Unified vs Quality.” My Little Norway, mylittlenorway.com/2012/04/the-norwegian-education-crisis-unified-vs-quality/.

Marginson, Simon . “The worldwide trend to high participation higher education: dynamics of social stratification in inclusive systems.” The worldwide trend to high participation higher education: dynamics of social stratification in inclusive systems, 2 June 2016.

“Overview: Students Well-Being.” PISA 2015 Results (Volume III) PISA, vol. 3, 2017, pp. 37–57., doi:10.1787/9789264273856-5-en.