Higher education policy is about how higher education institutions are funded, governed, and managed internally, and structured and coordinated nationally. These three areas are not mutually exclusive, and policy choices within and between the three domains of funding, management, and coordination are ultimately determined by political alliances and partnerships (Ansell 2008). These political alliances and partnerships are often complex and themselves shaped by volatile environmental forces.
Higher education policy has assumed an importance unequalled in previous decades due to the fact that higher education itself is seen in most, if not all, jurisdictions as fundamental to economic and social well-being. It is increasingly being recognized that sustained economic prosperity for all countries is linked to the development of the knowledge economy. Policy issues concerning knowledge production and innovation and the research cultures and capacity required to support these.
