NEW HEPI DEBATE PAPER: Neoliberal or not? English higher education by Roger Brown and Nick Hillman

A new HEPI Report, Neoliberal or not? English higher education, includes two strongly contrasting views on recent higher education policies and alternatives to the status quo, introduced with a Foreword by Professor Sir Chris Husbands.

• In Part One, Professor Roger Brown argues neoliberal policies have damaged English higher education in recent decades – and continue to do so. He says neoliberalism has many adverse effects, including ‘increased stratification, the commodification of learning and (for some groups) reduced participation’.

• In Part Two, Nick Hillman questions if it actually makes sense to paint recent reforms as neoliberal and suggests a wholly different approach might not bring the benefits that many people expect to see. Furthermore, he argues that supply-side reform has not yet gone far enough.