Abstract
This study analyses the policies for financing higher education in six Arab countries: Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Syria, and Tunisia. It assesses the adequacy of spending on higher education, the efficiency with which resources are utilized, and the equity implications of resource allocations. Based on six detailed case studies, this comparative study is intended to highlight the common features and similarities, as well as the differences among countries in the region, in addition to best practices and success stories. It also addresses the future challenges that are likely to exert pressure on higher education finance and assesses the reform efforts undertaken by the governments in the region. Finally, it proposes alternative strategies for dealing with problems of finance in the Arab region, in light of international experiences and the region’s unique characteristics.
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Notes
These case studies are based on conference presentations at the Economic Research Forum (ERF) Regional Conference on Financing Higher Education in Arab Countries, Amman, 17–18 June 2009.
Unfortunately, no measures of income and geographic inequity are available. Data on the Gini coefficients of education are not available for this group of countries.
This choice of weights is clearly subjective and could be subject to criticism, but the same critiques could be offered of efforts to assign unequal weights.
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El-Araby, A. A comparative assessment of higher education financing in six Arab countries. Prospects 41, 9–21 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11125-011-9185-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11125-011-9185-7