As universities in the UK have transitioned over the last 5 decades from offering higher
education for the elite to higher education for the masses, funding mechanisms have
inevitably needed to change. Cost sharing in higher education has shifted from public to
private sources, and universities in the UK have been encouraged through various policy
initiatives to maximise their efficiency and productivity in order to get the most from
their funding. But just how should universities’ efficiency be measured? In this public
lecture I will summarise the policy changes in UK higher education across 5 decades and I
will review the accompanying body of research into university efficiency over the same
period. I will end by briefly looking at some of the consequences of policy reforms. The
UK is not alone in the challenges it has faced in funding a rapidly-expanding higher
education sector and there are many lessons for other countries, including Spain, in the
experiences and research that I present."La Fundación Ramón Areces no se hace responsable de las opiniones, comentarios o manifestaciones realizados por las personas que participan en sus actividades."
