Exploring the Public value of Higher Education - An Exploratory Case Study of an Irish HEI

Abstract

Given the huge amounts of public money spent on higher education, governments are demanding greater accountability for how this money is spent and what is being achieved with the allocated funds. A New Public Management (NPM) approach requires a more business-like approach by HEIs with an emphasis on graduate employment, research impact, and diversified funding. However, critics of a NPM approach to higher education suggest that higher education is a public good with a wide range of objectives. An alternative approach uses public value and this approach examines the contribution of public sector organisations to the economic, social, and environmental well-being of society. This suggests that one of the key goals of HEIs is to offer greater opportunity to a wider range of students. This research examines the contribution of the Institute of Technology, Blanchardstown (ITB - now part of TU Dublin) to its students/graduates through a mixed-methods approach involving interviews and reviewing published reports. The research finds ITB allowed a wider range of students to benefit from higher education and this resulted in higher employment levels, higher salaries, and greater opportunity