| This research is a comparative study about reforms of the higher educational governance system in China and Chile from the 1980 s until today,studying their causes,contents and results in order to identify successes and threats.The purpose of this work is to analyze governance development when market mechanisms are introduced in the operation of higher education.For this,two countries with similar experiences regarding market implementation in their educational systems,but with significant historical,political,social and cultural differences,are compared.From the observation of this extremely different cases,significant lessons are obtained about the diversity of impacts that the introduction of market mechanisms in higher education can have.In this way the research question is: What lesson can we get about similarities and differences that the reforms of the higher educational governance systems had in China and Chile,since 1980s?Due to the deep cultural and historical differences between these two countries,rather than drawing lessons on the success of a system that can be replicated in another,this research aims to generate a reflection on the experience that has been the implementation of market mechanisms in the higher education system and the role that the State can play in these processes.Higher education governance means the relationship established between the State and higher education institutions(HEIs)through different instruments such as acts,plans or government programs,with the aim to guide the work of tertiary educational institutions.This relationship is mediated by governments,authorities of educational communities and market incentives who also participate in the HEIs work.Since the 1980 s,there has been a worldwide phenomenon of increasing market influence in tertiary education systems.This research takes this international context as its background.However,the causes of the introduction of market mechanisms are not only due to international factors.Both countries have a history and a scope of political processes that have influenced the origin of their tertiary educational system and how the relationship between the State and HEIs has developed.Therefore,this research begins(chapter one)with a historical recount of the origins of higher education in both countries,their modernization processes and a description of sociodemographic,economic and educational indicators,with the aim to understand the historical and social contexts.After that,based on the method of discourse analysis,where the objective is to establish the impact of certain official documents on decisions and public policy-making in the operation of the educational system,a comparative exercise is carried out on how higher education governance reforms have been developed in Chile and China,identifying different stages in the period studied.Chapter two discusses the period 1978-1993.In the case of China,1978 saw the beginning of the Reform and Opening-Up agenda,which established the foundations for the introduction of market mechanisms in the governance of higher education.Even though the accelerated speed of implementation of these policies led to instability(1986-1989),the reforms succeeded in transforming the system and they are the basis of the policies promoted in subsequent periods.Meanwhile in Chile,the authoritarian dictatorship that ruled the country between 1973 and 1990,after having implemented a new Constitution,began a series of higher education reforms in 1981 that implied broad concessions for the arrival of private actors to the system.The negotiation process that generated an‘orderly withdrawal’ of the dictatorship allowed to maintain its institutional framework and,therefore,it is the basis of the system in the following years.Chapter three discusses reforms in the 1990 s.In China,during the period1993-1998 governance of higher education was stabilized investment plans began to be designed,with emphasis on safeguarding internal equity and promoting a more harmonious system development.On their side,in Chile the post-dictatorship governments(1990-2005)designed a series of policies that looked to establish a post-statist and post-neoliberal project,based on increasing the State’s regulatory and quality evaluation capacities.The third chapter presents a third stage,also in both countries,beginning in the 2000 s,in which both educational systems began a phase of more accelerated expansion.In the case of China,a phase of greater expansion in the coverage of its educational system began in 1999,with the approval of the Higher Education Act.In the case of Chile,the most expansive phase began in2005 with the approval of the Act that created the Credit with State Guarantee(CAE by its Spanish initials),which accelerated the growth of private HEI enrollment.Chapter four details the period 2010-2020.While China,once it reaches a wide coverage and high development in the tertiary system,enters fully into an agenda of internationalization of its higher education system.While in Chile –with a higher coverage rate– a deep political crisis begins to emerge regarding the orientation of its educational model,which results in a series of unfinished experiences and,therefore,is characterized as a decade of crisis for its tertiary educational system.Chapter five discusses and summarizes the findings.Despite both countries,due to some similarities but also differences,have implemented the market as an instrument for the development of their higher education systems,the State’s role is significantly different.Therefore,it is possible to see two different models of higher education governance.China –with a percentage of students in public HEIs above 80%– has based its governance on the decentralization of decision-making and designing investment projects oriented to the achievement of social objectives.While Chile –with an enrollment rate above 80% in private HEIs– has focused on the State as an evaluator of HEIs’ quality in order to guarantee free market competition.Therefore,the tasks and roles assumed by the State,the competencies that it has and the use of its resources to make investments with a strategic perspective for the development of higher education,are crucial factors for the success or failure of implementing a market mechanism in the governance of higher education.In any case,this research does not intend to draw lessons from one country to apply them in another,but to learn from different experiences with the consideration that historical and cultural factors are crucial to make higher education an effective instrument of development and prosperity for different societies. |
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