Higher Education Policy Formation in Canada


Theresa Shanahan, York University

This presentation examines policy formation in Canadian higher education using a neo-institutionalism framework. The focus will be on the publicly funded system that dominates higher education policy in Canada and will give particular attention to the university sector. The implications of policy formation on institutions, system structure, processes and outcomes will be identified. This paper presentation takes neo-institutionalism as its analytical framework (Howlett, Ramesh and Perl, 2009; Powell and DiMaggio, 1991). This framework understands “institutions” broadly as including formal organizations, markets, legislative frameworks, cultural codes, traditions, and rules/norms. It suggests institutional features may enable or constrain decision-making, influence behaviour, and interpretations of policy problems and solutions. Furthermore, this analysis considers how policy is shaped by history, power dynamics, ideologies, and networks, within institutions and between policy actors (Searle, 2005; Thelen and Mahoney, 2010). This presentation brings together findings from three research studies of: the development of postsecondary education systems in Canada (Fisher, Rubenson, Shanahan, and Trottier, 2014); Canadian higher education policymaking (Axelrod, Desai-Trilokekar, Shanahan, Wellen &, 2013) and the legislative framework of higher education in Canada (Shanahan, Nilson, and Broshko, 2015). Using fundamental socio-legal analysis and descriptive critical policy analysis, in a meta-analysis across data collected during these three projects, this presentation identifies the socio-political and legislative framework of higher education policy making. These findings are combined with scholarly literature, government reports and statistical data to illustrate the unique features of the policy arena that shape policy formation and outcomes in Canadian higher education. Together the data from these three projects provide a rich profile of policy formation in Canadian higher education and identify the shifts that have occurred in the last three decades. Canadian federal and provincial governments’ have employed a variety of structural, legal, treasury and information-based policy mechanisms to reform governance in Canadian higher education. The politics associated with the reforms have intensified intergovernmental relations in higher education, penetrated university autonomy, challenged leadership, eroded collegial decision-making in universities and produced mixed outcomes for access and equity. History, context, and structure all matter in understanding Canadian higher education policy making which has been shaped by federalism, the constitutional division of powers, the parliamentary system, the unique dynamics of federal-provincial relations in Canada, and the dual, shared governance model of universities. Higher education policy in Canada is embedded in a broader political, economic, social, bureaucratic, and historical context and set within regional diversity (reflected in differing identities, values, language, and culture) across the country. Provincial histories, laws and cultural environments have influenced the development of provincial systems of higher education which each have unique regulatory arenas. The contradictory dynamics of convergence and divergence are evident in Canadian higher education: path dependence associated with provincial historical legacies as well as rationalization associated with external and global, isomorphic pressures on organizations. In Canada we see stronger state control and steering of higher education driven by system expansion and demand for access propelled by the belief that higher education is an important economic and social driver. Universities are increasingly seen as public, democratic spaces captured by broader public sector legislation as opposed to private, ivory towers. At the same time higher education is increasingly seen as a private good, and governments have retreated from providing operating funds which has increased tuition over the last three decades. Higher education institutions have scrambled for (sometimes unsustainable) revenue streams to make up the short fall. In the complex contemporary context, university governance and leadership are critically important and have come under increasing scrutiny. These developments have constrained institutional autonomy, challenged collegial and managerial governance structures, altered institutional culture, and impacted access and equity in education. This contribution offers insight into the formation of higher education policy in Canada and identifies the unique features of the Canadian socio-political context that shape policy formation and outcomes in higher education across the country.

This paper will be presented at the following session: