I will be presenting at the ANU Forum on Higher Education Financing, Friday 13th August 2015, on the topic ‘Should universities have skin in the game?’ based on my Senate submission ‘An Incentive Compatible Model for Higher Education deregulation’

Details on the conference:

The funding of higher education in Australia is at a crossroads. Our goal should be a competitive higher education system that ranks among the world’s best, and there is a need for researchers and commentators to continue the debate as to how this can be achieved. Income contingent loans facilitate equitable access for students, but there are questions about financial sustainability, and anomalies with respect to subsidies, coverage, and effective interest rates. A major issue that has emerged over the last year of debate is related to the role and potential consequences of fee deregulation. As well, there are arguments from some that universities, as beneficiaries of tuition charges, should be more accountable for both debt repayment and the quality of education provided. There are also potentially important lessons from overseas concerning the implications of policy choices with respect to government outlays, student charges and university and student behaviour. Further debate is also warranted on the nature and extent of student income support. Our hope is that this forum will add substantially to the debate, and provide policy makers with more information about possible financing choices and their implications.

The forum will be opened by Professor Brian Schmidt (ANU). Confirmed presenters include: Susan Dynarski (University of Michigan), Lorraine Dearden (Institute for Fiscal Studies, UK), Miguel Palacios (Vanderbilt University), Andrew Norton (Grattan Institute), David Phillips (Phillips KPA), Sean Leaver (RMIT), Rabee Tourky and Rohan Pitchford (ANU), and a panel of higher education experts including Bruce Chapman (ANU), with others to be announced.

Time and Date: 9:00am to 5:30pm, Thursday, 13^th August

Location:  Shine Dome, ANU Campus