Fairness, Funding and Our Collective Future - A way forward for post-secondary

The greater the social benefits, the greater ing the concerning trends in the sector where in should be the public investment. [...] 12 caNadiaN ceNtre for policy alterNatives–Nova scotia The Right Kind of Spill-Over: Knowledge, Productivity and an Educated Citizenry The O’Neill Report discusses at great length vari- as the extra benefit of providing more of the ac- ous considerations for choosing the appropriate tivity exceeds the extra cost, the government level of public funding for the university system, should increase its. [...] To on this premium takes away from understanding conclude, however, that the primary value of a the complex relationship of tuition to the value university degree is the income premium gained of the degree. [...] and almost 90 percent of income generated in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.33 The following excerpt from The O’Neill Report is therefore perplexing: Social Benefits Outweigh Social Costs “Regarding the broader issue of the role of the When individuals attain higher levels of educa- universities on the local economy, their impact tion, there are numerous economic as well as is incidental to the mandate an. [...] Just as the so- As is further explored in the next section, the cial benefits of a post-secondary education government needs to develop policies to prevent are roughly equal to the private benefits, the erosion of this common good by addressing so should the division of costs and invest- the increasing privatization and marketization.