The state, civil society and contest in higher education in the globalized era: A critical view from Latin America Marion Lloyd & Imanol Ordorika Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México CIHE ASHE Pre-Conference Forum, November 4, 2015, Denver, CO

Conceptual frame Under globalization, many view a weakening of the nation-state and a civil society reduced to the market sphere (ex. Rosencrance). We argue that role of the state has shifted but not diminished, and that civil society continues to play a key role in dictating policy, including at the university level. Competing priorities of the state and civil society, and within society itself, are sources of ongoing conflict and change. Competing demands can be broadly summed up as: capitalist accumulation and the reproduction of existing class structures, on the one hand, and upward mobility and social equality on the other. Mainstream theories of change in higher education pay insufficient attention to the political dimension and to areas of conflict and contest both within and outside organizations. These conflicts occur across three dimensions: Instrumental Agenda control Hegemonic

Hegemonic analytic perspective As an institution of the state, higher education is a key site of struggle for cultural and economic hegemony. That struggle typically manifests through competing reform projects, particularly during periods of profound and rapid change, such as in the current globalized era. But just as higher education has the potential to reproduce existing inequalities, it can also be a site of equalization and democratization. Examples include: Protests over the student-loan model Battle over new forms of funding Opposition to international university rankings Affirmative action Debate over for-profit higher education

Colombia: the instrumental dimension In 2011, major protests in Colombia against proposed reforms to 1992 higher education law (Ley 30) The proposed reform called for: Introducing for-profit higher education to meet unmet demand of 3.6 million university seats Huge increase in student loans Liberalizing teacher contracts (by-hour hires) Increasing enrollment at existing public universities Conditioning funding to institutional results As a result of civil society protests, President Santos withdraws bill from Congress in November, : Government unveils new proposal for higher education, but protests and debate continue.

Chile: setting the agenda Protest movement demanding free higher education End of for-profit education Role of the Confederation of Chilean Student Federations (CONFECH) Election of President Michelle Bachelet in 2013 January 20105: Bachelet signs first phase of education reform, including end to profits and selective admissions at state-run universities May 2015: Slow pace of reforms parks massive protests, death of 2 students

Brazil: setting the agenda 1988: First anti-discrimination measures incorporated into new constitution 1980s-1990s: Black movement pressures for anti-discrimination and affirmative action measures 2003: First public universities implement quotas for blacks and public school graduates : scores of public universities follow suit 2005: President Lula implements ProUni, quotas in the private sector 2011: First racial quotas at graduate level 2012: Federal Quota Law

Mexico: the dispute for hegemony Candidates for rector of the UNAM defend free public higher education Result of century-long concensus and periodic student protests Neolioliberal reforms. Ex. Merit-pay system: National System of Researchers (SNI, 1984) Today, more than 22,000 SNI members SNI members by gender