The Role of the State and the Future of Higher Education in the UK, Japan and Continental Europe

Demographic, political and economic pressures have led to a number of major reforms in Japanese higher education in Japan in recent years. There is considerable evidence to suggest that the UK system has been a model for many of the reforms in the Japanese systems over the past two decades, but in particular the changing relationship between universities and the state. At the same time, the relationship between the higher education sector and the state in the UK has itself been in tremendous flux. Similarly rapid changes in the higher education system can be seen in continental Europe (in particular France, Germany and Italy) and it is methodologically important to triangulate the most recent reforms in the UK and Japanese systems with reference to these major continental European changes.

The workshop in Oxford will bring together some of the most senior scholars of Japanese, UK and continental European higher education reform to discuss similarities and differences in these areas drawing on the most recent research. Speakers at the workshop include: Ivor Crewe, Ronald Dore, Hubert Ertl, Christian Galan, Roger Goodman, Motohisa Kaneko, Fumi Kitagawa, Paola Mattei, David Watson, and Aya Yoshida. A full programme can be found at: http://www.nissan.ox.ac.uk/events/higher_education_reform

The workshop is free and open to the public but space is limited and all those who wish to participate in the workshop and attend the reception must register with Miss Jane Baker (jane.baker@nissan.ox.ac.uk; Tel: 01865-274570) by March 1 at the latest.

The Nissan Institute is grateful to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs for its financial support of the workshop.