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Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Economy After Neoliberalism: Increases in Student Costs Unprecedented

Posted by Charles Mudede on Wed, Mar 6, 2013 at 1:54 PM

State and local funding for public universities and colleges fell 7 percent to $81.2 billion in 2012 from a year earlier, driving up a measure of tuition to record levels, according to an annual survey.

States and local governments have been cutting support for higher education since the recession that ended more than three years ago even as enrollment has grown. Colleges have been forced to raise prices, with net tuition revenue per student reaching an all-time high of $5,189 last year, the State Higher Education Executive Officers said in a report released today.

“These one-year decreases in funding and increases in student costs are unprecedented over my forty-year career in higher education,” said Paul Lingenfelter, president of the group, based in Boulder, Colorado.

The one thing Obama has failed to slow down in any way are the processes of neoliberalization, which were initiated in the mid 70s and all come down to transferring socially generated wealth from the public to the private sector. These processes have continued despite the death of neoliberal ideology. When we speak of the end of neoliberalism, we always mean as an ideology—those who work hard succeed; those who fail are just lazy; the system is fair and rewards the most rational, self-interested actors; the rich are job creators; blacks are poor because they have a culture of poverty; whites are rich because they have a Christian work ethic; so on and so on. But the rise in tuition costs is an attack on white middle-class wealth. Neoliberalism spares no group beneath the rich. And what is its ultimate goal as a class project? To detach wealth from democracy.

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Good Afternoon Charles,
I read both stories headlined. I agree Pres. Obama "has failed to slow down in any way [are] the processes of neoliberalization". Nor will he or any of his immediate successors slow that process. Simply won't happen. I just don't believe neoliberalism has died. Yesterday's Dow closing result is one indicator.

I agree state-funded college/university costs are increasing and state funding is diminishing for those same schools. And, it's extraordinary how expensive private schools are. Nary a doubt it "hurts" financially to go to school these days. I read somewhere Princeton University's endowment was so large that it could pay future students' tuition at Princeton in years to come. But, I can't substantiate that. If true, it's definitely strange that education can cost so much.

On the other hand, I'm not so sure I agree with the rest of your paragraph. I believe wealth & democracy do have some connection. To what degree, I don't know. I think it's far more complex that what you wrote.

Posted by lark on March 6, 2013 at 3:04 PM

Don't fully agree w/ how you parse this but you are so right the crazy rise in college tuition is a harbinger of the death of middle class America. Fucking bummer - 40 years ago we were like Canada is now; now we are Mexico "light."

Posted by Clara T on March 6, 2013 at 7:37 PM

Uhm, da reason why kollidge ed-jew-kayshun kosts so much iz...

...the government is paying for it in many cases, sidestepping the market process. Duh!

Posted by GeneStoner on March 6, 2013 at 9:40 PM

I'm in a career for which a college degree is not a requirement, but about half of my coworkers have a bachelor's degree or above. I read somewhere that 25% of retail sales clerks are college grads. Could it be that we're sending a lot of people to college who don't need to be there?

Posted by Ken Mehlman on March 6, 2013 at 10:52 PM