The public (good) of higher education: A lexical-based comparison of the Chinese and Anglo-American approaches

The idea of the public (good) of higher education is closely related to the political, social and education cultures in which higher education is embedded. It varies across contexts. However, the widely used notions of the public (good) of higher education, including the notions of economic public goods and private goods, primarily assume the Anglo-American state/society/university assemblages. This is largely because of the Anglo-American (and more generally, Western) dominance of discourses in higher education and the language challenges involved in comparative studies of higher education. However, employing the Anglo-American notions in non-Anglo-American contexts is problematic. This webinar will critique that approach, and attempt to move beyond it by reporting a lexical-based comparison of the Chinese and Anglo-American approaches to the public (good) of higher education. It identifies and explores key concepts of the public (good) of higher education in both the Chinese and English languages, establishing similarities and differences. It is hoped that this comparison will enable a more balanced understanding of the public (good) role of higher education in each of the Chinese and Anglo-American policy settings.