Despite the obvious benefits derived from education, governments face difficult trade-offs when balancing the share of public and private contributions to education. Understanding how private expenditure is sourced, through public transfers or through private funds, can make a difference in enabling access to education and provide insights into…

This book describes the history, structure and institutions of open and distance education in six countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, the UK and the US. It discusses how open and distance education is evolving in a digital age to reflect the needs and circumstances of national higher education systems in these countries, and explores…

This paper explores the nascent field of risk management in higher education, which is of particular relevance in Australia currently, as the Commonwealth Government implements its plans for a risk-based approach to higher education regulation and quality assurance. The literature outlines the concept of risk management and risk-based approaches…

This article considers evidence which suggests that Australia's current approach to the funding of non-government schools does not serve the common good. Educational provision is now segmented and a majority of private schools have resources that are either moderately or highly superior to those available in public schools. The current funding…

The return on investment (ROI) obtained by enterprises that invest in training was examined through case studies of seven Australian work organizations. The case study organizations included a government-owned transportation company, a privately owned company, a major nongovernmental charitable organization, a publicly listed corporation, and two…

The effects that recent changes in Australia's vocational education and training (VET) system over the past decade have had on VET practitioners were examined. Interviews were conducted with 28 VET teachers working at a variety of sites across Australia, including technical and further education, adult and community education, private colleges,…