About This Blog

Dare to Dissemble is my little online ranting place, where I air my thoughts about the ridiculous state of affairs at the University of Alberta--a formerly strong public institution with tons of potential being driven into the ground by inept governance and irresponsible government funding policies. Comments are welcome, but not expected. Like most blogs on the internet, this one languishes in obscurity and is read for the most part by its proprietor.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Economic Impact

Studies like this always make me a little nervous.  Yes, I agree that large research universities play a role in the economic development of the surrounding areas, and that such an impact can potentially be quantified.  My concern here is two-fold.  First, if the study is conducted by people at the university whose impact is being measured, and who therefore have an axe to grind, the credibility of the numbers can be called into question.  Second, should we really fall into the facile trap of packaging a university's value to the community in terms of tangible economic impact?  I would like to think that a strong public university that provides a rigorous education to its citizens is of great intrinsic value, regardless of its direct economic impact.
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2 comments:

  1. AnonymousOctober 4, 2012 at 8:36 AM

    Not sure I agree with this one. We should understand our value from a social, economic and environmental perspective.

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  2. ArrikOctober 4, 2012 at 4:41 PM

    OK. But what then is the fate of a unit that is not shown to have much quantifiable economic value? Should it be eliminated? Shall we convert U of A into a polytechnic institute?

    I raise these points as someone who is in a faculty and department that probably DOES provide a lot of positive economic impact. But I resist this kind of exercise, because I think it misses a lot of the benefit that having a large institution of higher learning provides to a community. I'll probably post further on this to better articulate my concerns.

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