In a period of student loan scandals and U.S. financial market instability impacting on the cost and availability of student loans, this paper looks at alternative models of higher education funding. In this context, it also considers the level of financial support that the government should provide to higher education.

This collection of eight papers looks at how a system of loans for lifelong learning in Great Britain and New Zealand might be positioned. It examines where such loans might work best and where they seem inappropriate. In particular, the collection assembles the available evidence about the role and impact of loans in the world of education and…