TY - JOUR
T1 - Massification without equalisation
T2 - the politics of higher education, graduate employment and social mobility in Hong Kong
AU - Lee, Siu Yau
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 Taylor & Francis.
PY - 2016/1/2
Y1 - 2016/1/2
N2 - This article explains why the massification of higher education in Hong Kong has, contrary to the predictions of received wisdom, failed to enhance the upward social mobility of the youth in the city. Building upon recent literature in political science, it argues that massification can take different forms, which in turn determine the effects of massification on various social groups. Through exploring three critical phases in the city’s higher education reform, this article demonstrates how higher education policies have been heavily shaped by the interests of the city’s elites, who, on the one hand, see the expansion of higher education as a solution to such social and economic problems as unemployment and regional integration but, on the other, remain reluctant to increase public spending on the education sector. As a result, higher education has expanded almost exclusively in the private sector. Due to poor planning and implementation, graduates from self-financed programmes are severely disadvantaged in terms of employability, resulting in wage compression and unemployment. The findings of this study shed light on the regressive nature of higher education.
AB - This article explains why the massification of higher education in Hong Kong has, contrary to the predictions of received wisdom, failed to enhance the upward social mobility of the youth in the city. Building upon recent literature in political science, it argues that massification can take different forms, which in turn determine the effects of massification on various social groups. Through exploring three critical phases in the city’s higher education reform, this article demonstrates how higher education policies have been heavily shaped by the interests of the city’s elites, who, on the one hand, see the expansion of higher education as a solution to such social and economic problems as unemployment and regional integration but, on the other, remain reluctant to increase public spending on the education sector. As a result, higher education has expanded almost exclusively in the private sector. Due to poor planning and implementation, graduates from self-financed programmes are severely disadvantaged in terms of employability, resulting in wage compression and unemployment. The findings of this study shed light on the regressive nature of higher education.
KW - Hong Kong
KW - massification
KW - politics of education
KW - privatisation
KW - social mobility
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84934323799&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/13639080.2015.1049024
DO - 10.1080/13639080.2015.1049024
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:84934323799
SN - 1363-9080
VL - 29
SP - 13
EP - 31
JO - Journal of Education and Work
JF - Journal of Education and Work
IS - 1
ER -