Friday, September 21, 2012

Elasticity of demand

I got yer business model of higher edumacation right here: It seems there is an upper limit to how much people are able or willing to pay (or borrow) for their education. HM Goverment's appalling move to increase the upper limit on university fees has resulted in a decline of 54 000 admissions.

This should be a warning to governments playing with fee increases. Too much and you get Quebec, and lose. Or you get the UK, and lose.

12 comments:

Dana said...

Good god Boris. You of all people should know better.

Who loses? (Please note the single "o" all you semi-literate champions of linguistic degradation.)

Democracy doesn't lose. Democracy in this sad political maze has nothing left to lose.

The aristocracy doesn't lose. No foolishness about there being no aristocracy please.

Canada doesn't lose. Canada's already lost enough to make more losses irrelevant. The early signs are already there. Canada certainly won't see the 22 Century and likely won't make the halfway point of the 21st.

So who exactly loses?

People who no government since the 80's has given a rat's ass about that's who.

Get with the program.


Anonymous said...

Higher education is overrated. I know plenty of people in the trades that make a darn good living.

Boris said...

Dana, I think part of the problem we have is how we assume winning and losing. Governments that make themselves irrelevant don't last. From my own example, ask Jean Charest and his ilk. A shortfall of 54 000 university applications is a massive policy fail, and a demonstration that the youth are learning by experience more about the state of things than a lecturer could show them.

WWU, it isn't about a earning a good living. Higher education is about understanding the world beyond the simplistic logic of monetary wealth accumulation. If some had it their way, we'd all be mobile workers in Fort Mac, and when that happened, there'd be such a surplus of labour, it would force the price of that labour into the basement...

Anonymous said...

I know plenty of people who have an understanding of the world beyond the simplistic logic of monetary wealth accumulation as you say. I don't think you need a bachelors degree for that. Real world experience still counts for something.

Dana said...

"Governments that make themselves irrelevant don't last."

Irrelevant to whom? Voters? Eligible voters? The non-involved majority? Citizens generally? Or corporate interests? I could point to two generations of US governments as counter examples too.

And "cui bono"?

What created the middle class in the West? Government programs, including massive government support for post secondary academic education.

Now that it's been determined that the middle class must be reduced in size, prosperity and influence (as a preliminary to eliminating it altogether) what's the quickest way to do that?

You can't destroy a middle class that doesn't want to be destroyed.

Anonymous said...

What exactly is the "middle class"? I'm genuinely curious here as I suspect it depends on a number of factors. The term has too much fluidity built into it and I'm sure you could ask 10 people to define it and get 10 different answers. Thankfully we live in a time where the lines between classes are not set though. I've personally been back and forth between poor, working class and middle class many times but ultimately feel I'm better off for that in the end.

Dana said...

Which 10 people?

If you asked 10 socio-economists I think you'd find a fairly consistent definition country to country.

If you asked 10 guys in a bar you'd get 10 answers entirely different one from the other.

Anonymous said...

My point exactly. One group's definition differs from another.

Dana said...

So you'd give some kind of credibility to the guys in the bar then would you? You'd equate their opinions as being of equal value to the opinions of the socio-economists.

Are you George Bush?

lungta said...

I have said it elsewhere
I may as well say it here

If we can provide tuition, clothing, room and board, travel, training and pay for a military career with certainty of job placement or holding pay and accommodation until deployed
I think we should be able to do it for all other students, apprentices and trades training with the same "for canada" service expectations.
Education should be practical and relevant tho and have all include the living skills for the politics, law,economics,religion etc. they will encounter.
There are 54000 dui charges a year in Canada and i have yet to find a person charged who realized that two beer will get you a criminal record and the devastation a criminal record will cause in your life
I dragged my 12 year old son thu asia for 4 months on a shoestring and believe it was the best part of education he received.
Education as we know it needs a huge overhaul. I would go with every course available online for starters.
I'm with dana and george carlin in the feeling
that the real owners of this country rigged the game, threw us overboard 50 years ago and have no interest educating us as it is not in their best interest to have an educated population.
Stupid, compliant, debt ridden, anything for a buck players are their ticket,
Amoral cogs in an amoral machine.
How else could harper get ordinary citizens to even consider the programs he promotes? except by a lifesaving job in the mud-pits because geewizz we just slashed your safety net.
*********************
MIDDLE CLASS PUZZLE
(true story)
to be in the top 10% globally you need an accumulation of 76,000 dollars.
i have that.
my yearly income (16,800) puts me in the bottom 20% in Canada
FROM POLICY NOTE
"It’s said that 99% of Canadians think of themselves as middle class, regardless of their income"
http://www.policynote.ca/what-is-a-middle-class-income-these-days/

Anonymous said...

Dana, you mean the ones that tell me everything is just peachy keen?

Why should I listen to someone just because they have a framed piece of paper on the wall? These are the elitists that grab power and get us into all this sort of shit to begin with.

Just because someone doesn't have a university education doesn't mean their opinion should be scoffed at.

Dana said...

Oh boy.

No mas.

Dana out.