ANNOUNCEMENT AND CALL FOR PAPERS
6th International Workshop on Higher Education Reforms – State and Market in Higher Education Reforms: Trends, Policies, and Experiences in Comparative Perspective
Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados
Departamento de Investigaciones Educativas
Mexico City, November 9-11, 2009
This Workshop will be the sixth in a series of international workshops on university reforms that brings together researchers and policy analysts and makers interested or involved in different dimensions of change and reform in higher education. Previous workshops have taken place in Vancouver (University of British Columbia), Vienna (University of Klagenfurt), Tokyo (University of Tsukuba), Dublin (Dublin City University) and Shanghai (East China Normal University).
The 2009 Workshop will be organized by the Center for Research and Advanced Studies, one of the leading and most dynamic and influential education and research institutions in Mexico. Its Department of Educational Research is recognized among specialists for the quality of its research and postgraduate programs.
Theme of the Workshop
The Workshop will focus on the recent changes and reform policies concerning the role of the State and the growing importance of the market in higher education.
These topics have taken on great relevance given that global market dynamics have substantially modified higher education systems and institutions in both developed and developing countries. A variety of factors have had an impact on the role and regulatory capacity of the State and have become particularly acute in the current global economic crisis. These include efforts to adapt to changes in the market pressures, the reduction, in either absolute or relative terms, of public resources allocated to higher education, and the progressive adoption of market values and mechanisms in government and higher education.
As a result of changes in public policy, institutions of higher education have become more diversified and differentiated in their missions, objectives, and strategies with the objective of positioning themselves in the market and competing with other institutions for prestige, resources and clientele. Whereas in many countries in the past, the state was the predominant –if not sole- provider, funder and regulator of higher education, the field has been de-regulated and opened up to market forces, both in the form of growth of the non-public sector and the introduction of market mechanisms in public institutions. These reforms have not been uncontroversial but prompted major debates about the nature of higher education, the effects on equality of access, the achievement of ‘excellence’, the mechanisms of quality assurance, the societal ‘relevance’ of HE programs and, in particular, the focus on economic objectives and outcomes.
The Workshop will discuss these and related topics in a comparative perspective. Contributions are invited regarding
Theoretical perspectives on changes in markets of and the roles of the state in higher education.
The new regulatory frameworks and policies dealing with the private sector.
Relationships between the private and public sectors.
Diversity in structures, offers, delivery forms and quality in the private sector.
Educational market segmentation and differentiation of prestige, quality and clientele.
Market or quasi-market mechanisms in the management of higher education systems and institutions.
New forms of market self-regulation and network structures.
Autonomy of governance and finance in public and private institutions.
If there is space in the program, other relevant themes on higher education policies and reform will be considered as well.
Call for papers & panels
Papers and panels are invited to address these or other related themes. Proposals of up to 400 words (for papers) and 800 words (for panels) are to be sent by or before June 15, 2009 to the Chair of the Organization Committee, Professor Germán Alvarez-Mendiola ([email protected]), or to the Secretariat (Gabriela Medina [email protected]). Presenters will be notified by the beginning of July if their proposal has been accepted.
As with the earlier workshops, the number will be limited to a maximum of 75 participants in order to allow for a thorough exchange and discussion.
In order to be published in the conference annals, the complete version of the paper in English should be sent no later than September 15, 2009, and should not exceed 4000 words –including tables, graphs, notes, and bibliography. Given the previous consent of the authors, a selection of the papers will be published in the Revista de la Educación Superior, a publication of the Mexican National Association of Universities and Institutions of Higher Education (ANUIES).
Working Language
Workshop presentations will be conducted in English and Spanish. There will be no simultaneous translation, although bilingual personnel available in each session will assist with translation and understanding. Spanish papers must be available in English translation and presentations in Spanish must be accompanied by slides in English.
Co-sponsorship
The Workshop will be co-sponsored by several professional associations, higher education institutions, and research funding agencies. They include:
Mexican Council of Educational Research (COMIE)
Institute of Research on University and Education, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (IISUE, UNAM)
National Council for Science and Technology (CONACYT, Mexico)
National Association of Universities and Higher Education Institutions (ANUIES, Mexico)
Japanese Society of Higher Education Research (JSHER)
International Organizing Committee:
Professor Germán Álvarez-Mendiola,
Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados, Mexico (Chair)
Professor Simon Marginson,
The University of Melbourne, Australia
Professor Hans G. Schuetze,
University of British Columbia, Canada
Professor Maria Slowey,
Dublin City University, Ireland
Professor Li Sumin,
Tianjin Normal University, China
Professor Andrä Wolter,
Technical University of Dresden, Germany
Professor Shinichi Yamamoto,
University of Hiroshima, Japan
Local Organizing Committee:
Professor Germán Álvarez-Mendiola,
Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados, Mexico (Chair)
Professor Romualdo López-Zárate,
Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, and President of Mexican Council of Educational Research
Professor Hugo Casanova Cardiel,
Instituto de Investigaciones sobre la Universidad y la Educación, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.
Elena Torres, Research Assistant,
Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados, Mexico
Mitzi Morales, Graduate Student,
Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados, Mexico
Patricia Jardón, Webmaster,
Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados, Mexico
Juana García, Secretary,
Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados, Mexico
Secretariat:
Gabriela Medina-Casas, Editor Assistant
Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados
Departamento de Investigaciones Educativas
Calzada de los Tenorios 235, Col. Granjas Coapa, CP 14330
Mexico, D.F.
Phone. +52 (55) 5483 2800, ext. 1044
Fax: +52 (55) 5603 3957
e-mail: [email protected]

Presentación del Departamento de Investigaciones Educativas
El Departamento de Investigaciones Educativas se funda en 1971 en el marco de un creciente interés nacional por la investigación educativa y su antecedente específico fue la elaboración de los nuevos textos de enseñanza a nivel primaria que abarcó el lapso de 1971 a 1980.
Las principales actividades que se desarrollan en esta dependencia son la investigación, la enseñanza a nivel posgrado y la difusión.
La investigación se orienta de diversas maneras: la vinculada al sector educativo y se vierte en estudios para otras instituciones oficiales (SEP, CONACyT y otras), investigaciones financiadas por agencias no gubernamentales (OREALC, UNESCO, CoNaFe, Ford, entre otras) y proyectos que se derivan del desarrollo de líneas de interés personal de los investigadores.
El posgrado se inicia en 1975 con la apertura del Programa de Maestría en Ciencias con Especialidad en Investigación Educativa. En 1993 se inicia formalmente el Doctorado en Ciencias con Especialidad en Investigación Educativa. En 2004 se abre una nueva modalidad del Programa de Maestría.
La difusión se ha desarrollado mediante la organización de conferencias, congresos y otros eventos académicos desde 1982 con el Simposio de Educación Popular en América Latina y con la elaboración de memorias, folletos y publicaciones diversas.
Las publicaciones que en el Departamento se elaboran incluyen desde los Cuadernos de Investigación, los documentos DIE hasta las tesis de Maestría. Inicialmente se publicaba solamente en papel, posteriormente se introdujo la modalidad de videos y en la actualidad también se hacen publicaciones en Compact Disk.
Contamos con una biblioteca cuya finalidad es apoyar a los planes de estudio y satisfacer las necesidades de información de investigadores, se funda la biblioteca del Departamento de Investigaciones Educativas y en 1996 se le da el nombre de Biblioteca “Juan Manuel Gutiérrez Vázquez”. Esta cuenta con un acervo de 28000 Monografías y 322 títulos de Publicaciones Periódicas nacionales e internacionales en diferentes idiomas español, ingles, portugués y francés, se han recopilado varios videos y bases de datos relacionadas a la docencia; además, la biblioteca se ha dado a la tarea de recabar la producción científica de los investigadores del DIE formando una colección significativa.
Los investigadores del Departamento son académicos especialistas en diversas áreas del conocimiento educativo: inicialmente agrupadas en torno a procesos sociales, culturales y políticos en la educación, la enseñanza de las ciencias y las matemáticas, procesos psicológicos y lingüísticos en educación, procesos curriculares y formación docente, historia de la educación. En la actualidad los proyectos se agrupan en torno a: aprendizaje y desarrollo de la lengua escrita, didáctica de la matemáticas, estudios de las relaciones entre escuela y comunidad, investigación sociológica y de política educativa, e historia de la educación en México.