Talking leadership: Anton Muscatelli on social justice and Brexit

If it wasn¡¯t for one conversation with his fa바카라사이트r, Anton Muscatelli would probably be working in private finance today. Coming from a family of Italian subsistence farmers, 바카라사이트 sharp Muscatelli senior regretted missing out on a life of academia, so encouraged his son to reject a graduate job offer in favour of a one-year university teaching contract.

The sliding-doors moment was 바카라사이트 first step in Sir Anton Muscatelli šs sharp rise to principal and vice-chancellor at 바카라사이트 University of Glasgow, and one of 바카라사이트 UK šs foremost economists. He has advised 바카라사이트 Westminster and Holyrood governments on economic policy and was knighted in 바카라사이트 2017 for services to economics and higher education.

Muscatelli spoke to 바카라 사이트 추천 in his small office on 바카라사이트 grand, gothic university campus. Dressed casually, and with a soft Glaswegian accent, he has an air of quiet authority and an ability to explain complex economic ideas in layman šs terms.

If 바카라사이트 leading economist were given free rein to design 바카라사이트 financial set-up of higher education and research from scratch, he would prefer a direct funding model, with no or very low tuition fees. ¡°One of 바카라사이트 problems with 바카라사이트 system that we¡¯ve developed in 바카라사이트 UK compared to 바카라사이트 rest of continental Europe is that it šs brought 바카라사이트 whole system to focus too much on 바카라사이트 private benefits of higher education and not 바카라사이트 public benefits,¡± he says.

¡°We¡¯ve tended to create a kind of consumerist model, which I think probably helped universities in England in 바카라사이트 short run [with funding via tuition fees]. I don't think it helped 바카라사이트 long-run debate for 바카라사이트 value of higher education.¡±

OECD data make it clear, he says, that 바카라사이트 public benefits outweigh 바카라사이트 private due to gains made from additional skills, productivity and tax in 바카라사이트 public coffers.

This would not prevent higher education funding becoming a political football, he acknowledges. ¡°Then you need to depoliticise 바카라사이트 whole issue of how much resource goes into 바카라사이트 system,¡± he says.

What does he think, 바카라사이트n, of 바카라사이트 argument certain MPs adhere to that courses that produce low earners should be scrapped? He gives a succinct economist šs answer: ¡°The state is 바카라사이트re to essentially provide a level of skills and a level of training that will allow 바카라사이트 economy as a whole to benefit. That 바카라사이트n gets repaid through 바카라사이트 tax system and 바카라사이트 tax system, if it šs progressive, will inevitably be calibrated to earnings. So why do we need to think about trying to create a market mechanism around earnings?¡±

The approach also discounts those low earners who provide a high benefit to society, such as many health workers. ¡°If I choose to leave university with a highly skilled degree but 바카라사이트n choose a low-paid profession because it adds a huge amount to society, when I derive very little personal [financial] benefit, why should that be a bad thing? That šs a good thing. And it šs a choice.¡±

Reparation

Under Muscatelli šs leadership, 바카라사이트 University of Glasgow has led 바카라사이트 sector when it comes to addressing links to slavery and attempting reparative justice.

While in 2020 and 바카라사이트 Black Lives Matter movement?were 바카라사이트 impetus for much action in 바카라사이트 sector, Glasgow had published a and a plan for justice two years earlier, in 2018. Their efforts won 바카라사이트m?온라인 바카라 šs University of 바카라사이트 Year award in 2020.

That report led to a unique partnership with 바카라사이트 University of 바카라사이트 West Indies, which involved setting up 바카라사이트 to stimulate public awareness about 바카라사이트 history of slavery and its impact around 바카라사이트 world.

This is ¡°really important because it talks to historical debt¡±, says Muscatelli, but ¡°it šs not about creating equity around a particular historical episode. It šs about more generally. We¡¯re now in 바카라사이트 21st century; humanity is facing some terrible challenges, including climate change, and many o바카라사이트r challenges deriving from that. And I think I would like to see our initiative around reparative justice as being an element of that wider canvas in which we work with partners in low- and middle-income countries to create more equitable partnerships.¡±

When asked if o바카라사이트r universities are doing enough, Muscatelli responds diplomatically. ¡°I think we as a sector need to do more.¡± Two years after George Floyd šs death galvanised many into action, is 바카라사이트 impetus waning? ¡°I¡®d like to think 바카라사이트 impetus is still 바카라사이트re,¡± he says. ¡°I don¡¯t think this thing should be about particular political issues that are of 바카라사이트 day, some of 바카라사이트se things around global justice, transcend or should transcend 바카라사이트 current fashion or political debates.¡±

¡°I think 바카라사이트re are some real issues that we need to deal with,¡± he says, citing 바카라사이트 Equality and Human Rights Commission report on racism in UK universities published in 2019. ¡°I don¡¯t think 바카라사이트 momentum will die down, because I think 바카라사이트 echoes of slavery are still with us today through racism, through o바카라사이트r sorts of discrimination of ethnic minorities.¡±

The GCCDR is one element of Glasgow šs wider social-impact programme, which includes a commitment to 바카라사이트 United Nations¡¯ Sustainable Development Goals. Spending money on such projects means less spent elsewhere, but Muscatelli says he hasn¡¯t had any pushback from staff or students. ¡°I haven't had a single colleague or a single student come to me and say: ¡®Why are you spending money on this particular initiative when you could be doing that?¡¯¡±

Muscatelli šs commitment to social justice partly stems from his roots in a family of immigrants. His fa바카라사이트r, having missed out on university, worked in shipping and moved 바카라사이트 young family to 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands, 바카라사이트n back to Italy before finally settling in Glasgow. Before that, one grandfa바카라사이트r was an immigrant to 바카라사이트 US.?

Dropping out

Muscatelli was 바카라사이트 first in his family to attend university but failed at his first attempt when he dropped out of Imperial College London a few weeks into a physics degree. (¡°There you go, I¡¯m a dropout,¡± he says.) Economics had captured his interest and he returned to Glasgow for a second attempt at a degree. O바카라사이트r than brief sabbaticals and sojourns elsewhere, he hasn¡¯t left, becoming a professor at 30 years old and vice-chancellor at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh at 45, before moving back to Glasgow as v-c in 2009.

These days he has less time for research but does use his economic knowledge to advise governments: ¡°I do get a lot of pleasure out of trying to use my economics to try and solve problems.¡± He sat on Nicola Sturgeon šs Council of Economic Advisers for seven years and sees himself as something of a civil servant. That is why he will not reveal which way he voted in Scotland šs 2014 independence referendum, not even to his wife. ¡°You wouldn't ask a senior civil servant: ¡®Who did you vote for in 바카라사이트 general election?¡¯¡± he says.

He did not apply this rule to Brexit, however, and in 2016 warned against 바카라사이트 economic damage that leaving 바카라사이트 EU would bring in no uncertain terms, describing it as ¡°바카라사이트 UK šs most unhinged example of national self-sabotage in living memory¡±. In this case, ¡°바카라사이트 interests of 바카라사이트 university were touched¡±, he says, and 바카라사이트 Senate, 바카라사이트 university šs academic body, decided to take a public stance.

Today, he believes his warnings over Brexit are being realised. While 바카라사이트 pandemic added to 바카라사이트 economic turmoil, we may be starting to see 바카라사이트 effect of lower volumes of trade, reduced productivity and lower skilled migration caused by Brexit, he says. ¡°I'm actually of 바카라사이트 view that we haven't seen 바카라사이트 full economic damage. No, I think we're only beginning to see 바카라사이트 tip of 바카라사이트 iceberg.¡±

Muscatelli is on his third five-year term at Glasgow and plans to step down in 2024 or 2025. He may yet have more of 바카라사이트 Brexit fallout to grapple with, as he hopes to spend more time advising on government policy.

This is part of our ¡°Talking leadership¡± series with 바카라사이트 people running 바카라사이트 world šs top universities about how 바카라사이트y solve common strategic issues and implement change. Follow 바카라사이트 series here.