Working Paper #2012-09 – The Dynamics That Are Restructuring Higher Education In The US And France

Department of Economics
University of Delaware
Working Paper #2012-09

The Dynamics That Are Restructuring Higher Education In The US And France

Alain Alcouffe and Jeffrey Miller

ABSTRACT

Over the past half century higher education has become an ever more important part of developed economies as an every greater number of young people need to prepare for a more complex world.  This paper compares the response to this challenge in France and the US.  This is a particularly interesting contrast since the two systems are different markedly in how they are structured:  the US system is very decentralized and French system is very centralized. 

JEL Codes: I21, I22, I28, H52

Keywords:  higher education in France, higher education in the US, for-profit colleges