Higher education policy and a future Labour government: distinguishing the probable from the possible
Soundings - ISSN 1362-6620
Volume 2023 Number 84 & 85
Higher education policy and a future Labour government: distinguishing the probable from the possible
Howard Stevenson pages 186-198
DOI: 10.3898/SOUN.84-85.12.2023
Abstract
There is now the very real possibility of a change of UK government before the end of next year. This articles looks for clues as to what a Labour led government might mean for the higher education sector, at a time when substantial and radical change is desperately needed. It seems that Labour’s approach to the university sector will be dominated by a focus on the economic role of higher education, combined with a fiscal conservatism that will further undermine more radical options. A longer-term transformative project remains a possibility, but its proponents must look beyond the lifetime of the next government. The realisation of any aspirational project for change will depend on the development of a broad and progressive alliance that is able to articulate, and organise around, a more hopeful and optimistic vision of the public university. There is potential for such a movement to emerge from the current industrial disputes in the sector, which have clearly exposed the limitations of the neoliberal university; but such a movement must also transcend any tendency to a narrow economism and link to a much broader political agenda.
To cite this article
Howard Stevenson (2023) Higher education policy and a future Labour government: distinguishing the probable from the possible, Soundings, 2023(84 & 85 ), 186-198. https://doi.org/10.3898/SOUN.84-85.12.2023