Thomas Sowell explains:
Those who want the government to provide subsidies to help meet the high cost of college seem not to consider whether government subsidies might have contributed to the high cost of college in the first place.
In any kind of economic transaction, it seldom makes sense to charge prices so high that very few […]
Archive for the 'University' Category
May1st2008
Apr23rd2008
“I’ve been asking myself that about student loans for quite some time. It’s still not clear to me how much, if at all, they benefit the students they are supposed to help. It seems at least equally plausible that they’re simply feeding the tuition inflation which makes it impossible for a normal kid to work […]
Apr21st2008
Quote Of The Day
Published by in (modern day) Liberalism, Academia, Economics, Education, General, University and Wal-Mart. 1 Comment“I have never quite encountered an intrinsically less fair institution than the university, at least in liberal terms of egalitarianism and respect for the underclass. A full professor may damn Wal-Mart, but Wal-Mart would never get away with the two-tier system that the university in built upon: the PhD part-timer has no job security, sometimes […]
Mar17th2008
“Not only are government subsidies for government tuition unnecessary, they also victimize the truly disadvantaged people in our society: those who lack the educational qualifications to go to college in the first place (usually due to a combination of poor public schooling and a flawed family environment). These people pay some of the taxes that […]
Mar14th2008
Kevin Carey, research and policy manager at Education Sector, writes in the Chronicles of Higher Education:
The fact that increased prices go hand in hand with more-selective admissions is all the better, since that leads to increased status, wealthier alumni, and higher rankings in U.S. News & World Report. In a normal market, businesses can cut […]
Oct3rd2007
Is UCLA A Charity?
Published by in Economics, Education, General, Hispanics (Minority Issues), Poverty and University. 6 CommentsLong time readers of my blog know that I strongly disagree with those who argue that Universities need more government funding - especially elite Universities like UCLA. I’ve blogged on this in depth before, see here.
Robert Reich, former president Bill Clintons labor secretary, makes similar arguments in the Los Angeles Times:
Is Harvard a charity?
Most donations […]
Aug13th2007
Gary Becker, Nobel Laureate in economics, in response to comments on a post arguing for the privatization of highways writes:
The USPO illustrates the worst of public monopolies. It has lagged virtually all the important mail delivery innovations in recent decades. It is grossly overmanned, and its employees are often surly and unpleasant. The need […]
Jul13th2007
Abolish The SAT
Published by in Discrimination, Economics, Education, General, Inequality, Poverty and University. 1 CommentSo argues, persuasively and surprisingly, Charles Murray here.
Because upper-middle-class families produce most of the smartest kids, there is no way to reform the system (short of disregarding intellectual ability altogether) to prevent their children from coming out on top. We can only make sure that high-ability students from disadvantaged backgrounds realize that the nation’s best […]
Dec4th2006
“In other words, the Law of Unintended Consequences is as work. More aid means higher tuition, so the winners from aid programs are not students so much as educational institutions that increasingly live in the lap of near-luxury. The slowdown in participation growth actually probably is a good thing –too many, rather than too few, […]
Jul3rd2006
Bipartisan Government Waste
Published by in Economics, Education, General, SocialSecurity, Taxes and University. 4 CommentsHere is a good list of spending cuts that both Republicans and Democrats can support:
Agricultural Subsidies: Everyone’s favorite whipping boy, and for good reason. These subsidies are a handout to rich farmers, and they raise food prices for everyone. $20 billion.
Social Security for the Well-Off: Social Security is not means-tested; people with substantial retirement income […]
May3rd2006
“Someone asked why States like New York oppose for-profit colleges? As someone pointed out, the University of Phoenix had to fight hard to get accredited in many states, and is still denied the opportunity to enroll student In New York and about fifteen other states. I suggested in my post that the answer is opposition […]
May2nd2006
To enjoy a charitable exemption from taxes, an institution must not only have a purpose deemed worthy (such as promoting education, health, religion, the arts, and so forth), but must also devote all its resources, including income on endowment, to its charitable purpose. The nondistribution constraint is indeed constraining, because it means that the institution […]
May1st2006
Quote Of The Day
Published by in Education, General, Hispanics (Minority Issues) and University. 0 Comments“What explains the boom in commercial colleges, given the difficulties in competing against highly subsidized taxpayer-financed institutions, and private non-profit institutions with considerable endowments, and exemption from property and income taxes? To me, the obvious answer is that commercial colleges are meeting a need not met by these other institutions. For-profits generally enroll lower income […]
Mar6th2006
Why Increasing University Subsidies Does Not Help The Poor
Published by in Economics, Education, General, Inequality and University. 10 CommentsRecently here in California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was taken to task for reducing government subsidies to California Universities. The argument went that government subsidies help reduce University costs, which in turn helps reduce tuition, and since the poor would have a hard time paying higher University tuition, government subsidies are a boom for the poor.
While […]
Jan4th2006
How To Make Higher Education Cheaper
Published by in Economics, Education, General and University. 8 CommentsUniversities all throughout the country are complaining about University cut backs, students are protesting, and everybody is worried about the increased cost of higher education, especially for the poor.
Writing in the Washington Post, James C. Garland, president of Miami University in Ohio, identifies the problem and recommends how to fix it: replace inefficient […]
Nov16th2005
Cash Strapped Universities Are Not As Strapped As You May Think
Published by in Economics, Education, General and University. 1 CommentThe San Diego Union Tribune writes:
SAN FRANCISCO – Despite complaints from University of California officials that the system has suffered severe cuts in state funding, prompting tuition and fee increases, many faculty members and administrators get paid thousands more than is publicly reported.
In addition to salaries and overtime, university employees received a total of $871 […]
