The State and Higher Education: A Model for Higher Education Policy Studies. ASHE Annual Meeting Paper

A systems model for the study of state higher education policy is adapted to reflect structural relationships within and among key units of government and organizations informally involved in the policy-making process, as well as more fluid political and economic contextual elements that mediate and shape the interaction between them. The model is viewed as three-dimensional, composed of the structural or organizational aspect, the contextual dimension, and the conventional sequence of public policy process. The structural dimension consists of units and the forces and linkages occurring between them. Contextual factors include five variables: (1) powers of the state board; (2) state officials' attitudes toward higher education; (3) the state budget situation; (4) the historic relationship between the state and higher education; and (5) the state's political mood. The public policy process includes problem-structuring, policy formation, implementation, and evaluation. Development and refinement of the model is continuing, with the objective of providing a useful and valid conceptual framework for the study and comparison of policy-making for state systems of higher education. Includes 25 references. (MSE)