In 2007, the Institute for Higher Education Policy launched a three-year initiative called the Global Policy Fellows (GPF) program to help develop capacity for higher educational policy around the world. The program provided an opportunity for committed individuals—those whose diverse backgrounds included working at government agencies, non-government organizations, professional associations, and university-based research centers—to make thoughtful and innovative contributions to higher education policy research. Participants and their efforts represented the following developed and developing countries: Brazil, Mongolia, the Netherlands, South Africa, Thailand, Ukraine, and the United States.
Fellows worked for over two years to share ideas, tools, and techniques in collaborative settings designed specifically for their programmatic experience. They conducted essential higher education policy research to eventually influence national and regional governments, leading authorities, and international organizations. Based on their shared experiences, they developed higher education policy models within their own countries, solicited feedback from their colleagues, and continue to refine and disseminate those policies even after the end of the GPF program.
As a result of their efforts, fellows released issue briefs in March 2009. Each publication was thoughtfully drafted by participants with the mindset of changing public policy for historically disadvantaged populations around the world. A final document on the experiences drawn from the project will be published in June 2009.
Educational Policies For Integrating College Competencies And Workforce Needs
This paper analyzes whether four countries—Brazil, Mongolia, Ukraine, and the United States—are preparing their college graduates with the competencies and skills necessary to compete within a dynamic global economic, political, and social context. It profiles how the countries are addressing three specific facets of the challenges in workforce development: basic skills development, internships, and stakeholders. Several themes emerge ranging from a general lack of agreement among key stakeholders regarding desired workforce competencies to balancing the demand for specialized, technical training with needs for universal basic and applied academic skills. The brief provides recommendations for both developed and developing countries when attempting to satisfy evolving labor market demands.
The Effect Of Transitions On Access To Higher Education
This issue brief focuses on how transitions within and between education systems affect access to higher education in four countries: the Netherlands, South Africa, Ukraine, and the United States. These four countries provide a diverse palette for demonstrating how issues surrounding access to higher education differ around the world. Findings reveal that increasing access to higher education depends on the history of the country and its relative stage of development, its primary and secondary education system, the demographics and various opportunities offered to pupils, the legal framework, and the policy initiatives taken.
Privatization In Higher Education: Cross-Country Analysis Of Trends, Policies, Problems, And Solutions
This issue brief examines the experience of four countries with privatization, including the development and expansion of private institutions, increased reliance of public institutions on private funding, and the operation of the colleges and universities in a business-like manner. The countries—Brazil, Mongolia, the Netherlands, and Ukraine—and their different experiences help to illustrate various aspects of privatization to reveal common problems and the ways in which these problems are being addressed. The brief concludes that although countries differ in the significance of privatization, it occurs to some degree in all of them, making it necessary to recognize its growing importance in higher education globally.
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