Building and strengthening policy research capacity: key issues in Canadian higher education

Abstract

Given the importance of higher education in social and economic development, governments need to build a strong higher education data and policy research infrastructure to support informed decision-making, provide policy advice, and offer a critical assessment of key trends and issues. The author discusses the decline of higher education policy research capacity in Canada and reviews the importance of strong national data systems in addressing issues of access and student mobility, and in understanding the implications of the increasing fragmentation of academic work. An international comparative study of national arrangements could illuminate useful strategies and approaches for strengthening this important policy research infrastructure.

Keywords:

• policy research
• professors
• academic work
• university transfer
• access

Notes

1. There are even greater challenges associated with researching the community college sector in Canada where there have been serious problems in the reporting of data on college students, especially part-time students. There is no national data-set related to community college faculty.

2. For a discussion of this issue in Ontario, see Jones (2004).

3. In Canada we tend to use higher education, postsecondary education, and tertiary education as synonyms.

4. Watson made this point in a 2008 conference in Toronto. His reference to ‘wicked problems’ draws from Rittel and Webber (1973).

5. For a detailed discussion of these categories in the province of Ontario, see Skolnik (2010).