Research Article

Sustainable Public Financing with Equity in Higher Education: Comparative Policy Insights from Norway, Canada, Chile, and Türkiye

Volume: 6 Number: 2 December 31, 2025

Sustainable Public Financing with Equity in Higher Education: Comparative Policy Insights from Norway, Canada, Chile, and Türkiye

Abstract

This study examines how higher education financing regimes influence equity and completion outcomes across diverse governance contexts in Canada, Chile, Norway, and Türkiye between 2015 and 2025. Employing a qualitative comparative policy analysis supported by OECD, UNESCO, and World Bank indicators, the study integrates quantitative trends with case-based interpretation to explain how financing designs mediate progress toward SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities). The findings show that publicly funded systems sustain broader inclusion and completion, while privatized or mixed regimes reproduce stratification unless offset by redistributive reforms. Even high-investment systems face persistent sustainability challenges. By linking cost-sharing structures to redistributive, procedural, and participatory dimensions of justice, the study proposes a multidimensional framework for assessing sustainable equity in higher education. The results offer policy insights for post-2030 frameworks that align equitable funding design, transparent governance, and inclusive monitoring with fiscal sustainability.

Keywords

Supporting Institution

No funding was received from any institution or organization for this study.

Ethical Statement

This study is an article conducted with document analysis; thereby, no requirement for ethical approval process.

Thanks

No specific acknowledgments are applicable for this study.

References

  1. Adamson, F., Astrand, B., & Darling-Hammond, L. (Eds.). (2016). Global education reform: How privatization and public investment influence education outcomes. Routledge.
  2. Askim, J. (2022). Student financing for social equity in Norway, 1947-2020. In Successful public policy in the Nordic countries: Cases, lessons, challenges (pp. 153–173). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780192856296.003.0008
  3. Bartlett, L., & Vavrus, F. (2017). Rethinking case study research: A comparative approach. Routledge.
  4. Bowen, G. A. (2009). Document analysis as a qualitative research method. Qualitative Research Journal, 3(2), 27–40.
  5. Brewis, E., & Marginson, S. (2025). Introduction to the special issue: The public good of higher education: A comparative study. Higher Education, 89(1), 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-024-01346-3
  6. Brown, P., & Tannock, S. (2009). Education, meritocracy and the global war for talent. Journal of Education Policy, 24(4), 377–392. https://doi.org/10.1080/02680930802669938
  7. Czarnecki, K., & Korpi, T. (2025). More funding, more students? Student funding policies and tertiary education enrolment ratios in 32 high-participation countries. Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-025-01504-1
  8. Dearden, L., Fitzsimons, E., & Wyness, G. (2014). Money for nothing: Estimating the impact of student aid on participation in higher education. Economics of Education Review, 43, 66–78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2014.09.005

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Higher Education Financing, Higher Education Policies

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

December 31, 2025

Submission Date

October 30, 2025

Acceptance Date

December 1, 2025

Published in Issue

Year 2025 Volume: 6 Number: 2

APA
Öztürk Çalıkoğlu, H. (2025). Sustainable Public Financing with Equity in Higher Education: Comparative Policy Insights from Norway, Canada, Chile, and Türkiye. Higher Education Governance and Policy, 6(2), 137-154. https://doi.org/10.55993/hegp.1812711
AMA
1.Öztürk Çalıkoğlu H. Sustainable Public Financing with Equity in Higher Education: Comparative Policy Insights from Norway, Canada, Chile, and Türkiye. HEGP. 2025;6(2):137-154. doi:10.55993/hegp.1812711
Chicago
Öztürk Çalıkoğlu, Halime. 2025. “Sustainable Public Financing With Equity in Higher Education: Comparative Policy Insights from Norway, Canada, Chile, and Türkiye”. Higher Education Governance and Policy 6 (2): 137-54. https://doi.org/10.55993/hegp.1812711.
EndNote
Öztürk Çalıkoğlu H (December 1, 2025) Sustainable Public Financing with Equity in Higher Education: Comparative Policy Insights from Norway, Canada, Chile, and Türkiye. Higher Education Governance and Policy 6 2 137–154.
IEEE
[1]H. Öztürk Çalıkoğlu, “Sustainable Public Financing with Equity in Higher Education: Comparative Policy Insights from Norway, Canada, Chile, and Türkiye”, HEGP, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 137–154, Dec. 2025, doi: 10.55993/hegp.1812711.
ISNAD
Öztürk Çalıkoğlu, Halime. “Sustainable Public Financing With Equity in Higher Education: Comparative Policy Insights from Norway, Canada, Chile, and Türkiye”. Higher Education Governance and Policy 6/2 (December 1, 2025): 137-154. https://doi.org/10.55993/hegp.1812711.
JAMA
1.Öztürk Çalıkoğlu H. Sustainable Public Financing with Equity in Higher Education: Comparative Policy Insights from Norway, Canada, Chile, and Türkiye. HEGP. 2025;6:137–154.
MLA
Öztürk Çalıkoğlu, Halime. “Sustainable Public Financing With Equity in Higher Education: Comparative Policy Insights from Norway, Canada, Chile, and Türkiye”. Higher Education Governance and Policy, vol. 6, no. 2, Dec. 2025, pp. 137-54, doi:10.55993/hegp.1812711.
Vancouver
1.Halime Öztürk Çalıkoğlu. Sustainable Public Financing with Equity in Higher Education: Comparative Policy Insights from Norway, Canada, Chile, and Türkiye. HEGP. 2025 Dec. 1;6(2):137-54. doi:10.55993/hegp.1812711