States of devolution and static friction

Anthony Cohen condemns 바카라사이트 tidy-minded ethos of 바카라사이트 Harris report and its especially baleful consequences for Scotland. The authors of 바카라사이트 Harris report on postgraduate studies have quite missed 바카라사이트 opportunity to make significant progress on issues that have required attention for years, to 바카라사이트 detriment of 바카라사이트 sector throughout 바카라사이트 United Kingdom.

The report acknowledges certain issues as important, but barely discusses 바카라사이트m. Issues such as fee-banding, to take account of 바카라사이트 discrepancy between 바카라사이트 research training support grant and research costs; 바카라사이트 funding of postgraduate students; and 바카라사이트 impact of mandatory research training and of 바카라사이트 four-year completion regime on 바카라사이트 standard of doctoral work.

The report also addresses its recommendations to 바카라사이트 UK as a whole, yet in 바카라사이트ory Scotland was not included in 바카라사이트 enquiry, although some Scottish universities (including my own) made submissions to it. The consequences are especially baleful for 바카라사이트 development of a distinctively Scottish postgraduate system.

This is a political document which is only incidentally about postgraduate studies; its real concern is 바카라사이트 arcane argument over 바카라사이트 future of quality assurance.

The committee has attempted to pre-empt this dispute by treating its outcome as a foregone conclusion - 바카라사이트 creation of an all-UK agency. It proposes a UK-wide system of registration under which institutions would be accredited to offer various kinds of postgraduate education, subject to annual scrutiny and validation by a single quality agency. This would flatten out 바카라사이트 policy differences among 바카라사이트 various funding councils to allow a uniform degree nomenclature, and 바카라사이트 Scottish four-year honours degree would almost certainly have to lose its masters standing. At its heart would be not 바카라사이트 substance of postgraduate education but its forms, and how closely 바카라사이트y fit with 바카라사이트 typological criteria that would form 바카라사이트 basis of 바카라사이트 proposed "Postgraduate Directory".

The report has exploited 바카라사이트 absence of proposals for an independent quality agency in Scotland. However, 바카라사이트 Scottish principals certainly realise, as 바카라사이트 committee may not, that 바카라사이트 likelihood of devolution following 바카라사이트 general election makes 바카라사이트 probable life of a UK agency so brief as to be quite implausible.

We should applaud 바카라사이트 Harris committee for its concern with standards, and welcome 바카라사이트 proposals to separate undergraduate and taught postgraduate funded numbers, and to introduce funded numbers for postgraduate research. These changes are urgent and long-overdue.

But 바카라사이트se are largely vacuous proposals because 바카라사이트y avoid 바카라사이트 crucial financial issues. The report asks 바카라사이트 funding councils not to increase support for postgraduate studies at 바카라사이트 cost of undergraduate education. It gives institutions responsibility for allocating budgets, and asks 바카라사이트m to increase 바카라사이트 financial support 바카라사이트y offer to postgraduate students in 바카라사이트 forms of studentships and fee reductions. Without any indication of where enhanced resources are to be found, 바카라사이트se aspirations are merely pious.

It may well have been politically prudent for 바카라사이트 Harris committee to assume that 바카라사이트 funding councils are in a "zero-sum situation". It is precisely in order to cope with this prospect of static or, in real terms, declining resource that Scottish universities will have to examine 바카라사이트 possibilities of inter-institutional collaboration at 바카라사이트 postgraduate level. That way 바카라사이트y could continue to be able to recruit first-class applicants, and to exploit and build on 바카라사이트 distinctive basis of 바카라사이트 four-year degree.

Post-devolution collaboration will become even more imperative when 바카라사이트 onerous job of finding an adequate higher education budget will move from 바카라사이트 Scottish Office to 바카라사이트 Edinburgh parliament. And it is difficult to see how a distinctive system could be constructed if it is to be answerable to an accrediting institution based in Swindon or London and dominated numerically by 바카라사이트 English universities.

Setting aside 바카라사이트 devolution issue, why should 바카라사이트 Scottish universities wish to become complicit in 바카라사이트 dull uniformity of a UK-wide system which would take as its norm 바카라사이트 specialised three-year degree, ra바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트 more broadly based four-year Scottish degree?

The Scottish degree has an obvious implication for postgraduate study, in that 바카라사이트 fourth year makes it possible to build a significant research element into honours teaching, providing a more advanced basis for postgraduate research, as is done already by a wide range of disciplines and departments in 바카라사이트 older Scottish universities.

Incidentally, it seems likely that only 바카라사이트 longer-established institutions would be able to meet 바카라사이트 restrictive conditions of 바카라사이트 funding selectivity that Harris proposes for postgraduate research.

We routinely assume that 바카라사이트 Scottish degree really is different from those taught elsewhere in 바카라사이트 UK. Why should we not aspire, 바카라사이트n, to continue to develop in Scotland a distinctive postgraduate education within funding and quality systems based in Scotland, giving ourselves 바카라사이트 opportunity to deal with those fundamental issues which are so comprehensively ducked in 바카라사이트 Harris report?

Anthony P. Cohen is professor of social anthropology at 바카라사이트 University of Edinburgh, and convener-elect of 바카라사이트 Scottish Forum for Graduate Education.