Suchergebnisse

AbstractHigher education systems need policies for distributing student places between higher education providers, courses and students. In supply‐driven systems, government and university decisions dominate. In demand‐driven systems, student choices play a larger role. Over the last 35 years Australia has moved from a supply‐driven to a largely demand‐driven university system and then partly back again. When students pay their own costs, both major political parties have supported market distribution of student places for decades. But for subsidised student places there is policy instability, due to fluctuating priorities for containing public expenditure and responding to demographic and labour market changes.

View that interpreting public opinion polling results to express high levels of discontent in the mid-1990s is almost certainly wrong. Examines forecasting of future trends, respondent's own life versus other people's lives, bias against present or future, and value of intertemporal polls.

Political commentators argue that the major political parties are in decline. This article sets out evidence for this view: minor parties and independents securing 20 percent of the vote at federal elections, declining strength of voters' party identification, and issue movements playing a large role in setting the political agenda. Possible causes for these trends range from the political, such as policy failure, undermining traditional constituencies, and ignoring public opinion, to sociological forces, such as postmaterialism, individualism and serious disaffection. However, the article argues Labor and the Coalition will be the dominant political players for the foreseeable future. In most lower houses, the electoral system favours the major parties which on balance is a good thing. The major parties have taken concerns of interest groups into account, while balancing these against majority opinion. They simplify choice for an electorate only moderately interested in politics, and can be held accountable in a way minor parties and independents cannot.

Examines higher education policy, which subsidizes costs for lower income students and allocates places based on a quota system under the 1989 Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS); argues that HECS adversely affects lifetime income distribution and that deregulation would improve lower income students' access; Australia.

'Libertarianism: A Primer' by David Boaz is reviewed.