This book makes both empirical and conceptual contributions to the debate on privatization of higher education in China. Empirically, it aims to fill a gap in our knowledge of privatization of higher education in North China. To this end, Beijing was chosen as a case for analysis, and nine local higher educational institutions were visited. The case study strategy is also complemented by an extensive review of national policies to reveal problems beyond the specific case of Beijing and of national concern. The effects of the cultural and socioeconomic background and the unique state-party controlling system on higher education management are stressed. Conceptually, most existing studies on privatization of higher education in China adopt a policy analysis approach, while research on privatization of other public sectors or in other countries is frequently guided by economic theories. This book thus seeks to combine both social policy and econometric approaches to provide a systematic and detailed investigation of the privatization process in the context of higher education. It also improves examines the applicability of western theories in the Chinese context.

Although an entirely unknown part of higher education worldwide, there are literally hundreds of universities that are owned/managed by families around the world. These institutions are an important subset of private universities—the fastest growing segment of higher education worldwide. Family-owned or managed higher education institutions (FOMHEI) are concentrated in developing and emerging economies, but also exist in Europe and North America. This book is the first to shed light on these institutions—there is currently no other source on this topic. Who owns a university? Who is in charge of its management and leadership? How are decisions made? The answers to these key questions would normally be governments or non-profit boards of trustees, or recently, for-profit corporations. There is another category of post-secondary institutions that has emerged in the past half-century challenging the time-honored paradigm of university ownership. Largely unknown, as well as undocumented, is the phenomenon of family-owned or managed higher education institutions. In Asia and Latin America, for example, FOMHEIs have come to comprise a significant segment of a number of higher education systems, as seen in the cases of Thailand, South Korea, India, Brazil and Colombia. We have identified FOMHEIs on all continents—ranging from well-regarded comprehensive universities and top-level specialized institutions to marginal schools. They exist both in the non-profit and for-profit sectors.

This book investigates the form and features of governance and the factors that shape governance in practice in private universities in China. Building on an exploration of the growth of private universities in China after the Communist Party took over the power, the study examines the specific context in China, including the role of the Communist Party, and integrates with shareholders and senior managers to achieve its governance role. It shows that two distinct forms of institutional governance have developed, namely the supervision form and the managerial form. While external policies provide an impetus for change for each university, how key actors in institutional governance understand these policies have significant effect on how the policies are implemented. This can result in change that can be viewed as either symbolic alteration or as operational change. The internal factors that act to shape institutional governance mainly relate to the different developmental stages of the private university, the characteristics of shareholders and senior managers, and the various ways the universities respond to the external policy.

Unlike most books which consider China’s transformation and globalization over the last four decades by focusing on China’s economic growth, this book examines how the Chinese regime has handled the increasingly complex sociopolitical and socio-economic challenges generated as a result of the country’s economic growth and transformation, challenges arising both from within the country and also from the external political environment. Based on extensive original research, the book outlines how China’s economic development has generated social and governance pressures, discusses the government’s social, educational, and governance reforms, and highlights how China’s development experiences, which differ from the Western economies with democratic political regimes, have drawn increasing attention from other countries in the developing world as an example to follow.

This volume seeks to identify and explore the forces affecting higher education in the Asia Pacific region today. It includes a set of conceptually-rich organizing chapters followed by detailed country-specific studies that detail both the underlying dynamics of these forces and the manner in which they have affected specific countries. In this way, the chapters touch on the complex demographics of the region, how continued and continuous economic development impinges on higher education, and how neoliberalism has affected higher education across many dimensions. The volume also addresses the complex issues associated with cross border education and the daunting challenges of both national and cross-national quality assurance.

A study of how China’s changing economy may leave its rural communities in the dust and launch a political and economic disaster. As the glittering skyline in Shanghai seemingly attests, China has quickly transformed itself from a place of stark poverty into a modern, urban, technologically savvy economic powerhouse. But as Scott Rozelle and Natalie Hell show in Invisible China, the truth is much more complicated and might be a serious cause for concern. China’s growth has relied heavily on unskilled labor. Most of the workers who have fueled the country’s rise come from rural villages and have never been to high school. While this national growth strategy has been effective for three decades, the unskilled wage rate is finally rising, inducing companies inside China to automate at an unprecedented rate and triggering an exodus of companies seeking cheaper labor in other countries. Ten years ago, almost every product for sale in an American Walmart was made in China. Today, that is no longer the case. With the changing demand for labor, China seems to have no good back-up plan. For all of its investment in physical infrastructure, for decades China failed to invest enough in its people. Recent progress may come too late. Drawing on extensive surveys on the ground in China, Rozelle and Hell reveal that while China may be the second-largest economy in the world, its labor force has one of the lowest levels of education of any comparable country. Over half of China’s population—as well as a vast majority of its children—are from rural areas. Their low levels of basic education may leave many unable to find work in the formal workplace as China’s economy changes and manufacturing jobs move elsewhere. In Invisible China, Rozelle and Hell speak not only to an urgent humanitarian concern but also a potential economic crisis that could upend economies and foreign relations around the globe. If too many are left structurally unemployable, the implications both inside and outside of China could be serious. Understanding the situation in China today is essential if we are to avoid a potential crisis of international proportions. This book is an urgent and timely call to action that should be read by economists, policymakers, the business community, and general readers alike. Praise for Invisible China “Stunningly researched.” —TheEconomist, Best Books of the Year (UK) “Invisible China sounds a wake-up call.” —The Strategist “Not to be missed.” —Times Literary Supplement (UK) “[Invisible China] provides an extensive coverage of problems for China in the sphere of human capital development . . . the book is rich in content and is not constrained only to China, but provides important parallels with past and present developments in other countries.” —Journal of Chinese Political Science

This pioneering book offers a unique constellation of essays focused on the important social and economic changes affecting educational institutions in China. It provides an in-depth examination of the potential and obstacles for business and management education in the world's second largest economy and most populated country.This volume is an essential resource for anyone with an interest in teaching, developing a new program, or entering into a joint venture in China. A wide range of topics, such as economic transition, pedagogical issues, professional training and alliance formation, are discussed from the standpoint of deans, educators, directors and consultants of educational institutions hailing from both the East and the West.