Tertiary Education in the 21st Century : Economic Change and Social Networks

Challenging the popular opinion that the rising inter-personal and inter-organizational networks confer advantage to individuals as they secure education resources, this book identifies new forms of emerging social exclusions. "Why are policy makers in England and New Zealand building networks between providers of tertiary education and innovative firms, yet also attempting to destroy networks through reform of assessment practices? This book argues that answers to both questions can be found in social changes that are driving up the importance of personal and institutional network capital in some fields and in egalitarian attempts to create open competitions for advancement. This book shows that these changes are leading to a reconfiguration in the rules upon which the competition for advancement is organized through tertiary education."--book jacket Front Matter....Pages i-vii Introduction....Pages 1-13 Social Class, Tertiary Education, and Field Theory....Pages 15-37 Ecologies of Talent....Pages 39-59 The Creation of Contrasting Geographies of Talent in England and New Zealand....Pages 61-84 Innovation and Networks in the Knowledge Economy....Pages 85-109 Innovation and Networks in the Knowledge Economy....Pages 111-130 Innovation and Networks in the Knowledge Economy....Pages 131-151 Summary and Conclusion....Pages 153-170 Back Matter....Pages 171-198