By definition, less government is always better

[stpioc]

No, less government isn't always better by definition. Take education, for instance, those spiraling higher tuition fees. Where do they come from...

The twin issues of rising tuition and increasing student debt have become major national concerns in the past few years, as students, policymakers, and the media have all recognized the threat that the increasing unaffordability of a college education poses to our country’s future economic growth. But there has been less alarm over the causes of rising tuition in these circles, and when there is, such coverage unfortunately often focuses on minor contributors to rising costs, such as increased administrative costs and spending on dorms and other amenities.

Yet the major cause of rising tuition at public colleges—cuts to state higher education funding, as we and others have shown—is all-too-often ignored, likely because the solution it implies—reversing these funding cuts—has become sadly taboo in our austerity-dominated political landscape. 

Doug Webber’s recent piece at FiveThirtyEight helps correct that omission. Using Department of Education data, he shows that state funding cuts account for about three-quarters of the rise in tuition at public universities over the past 15 years, while all other factors, including rising administrative spending and construction costs, are responsible for at most a quarter of the rise.

The Real Cause of Rising Tuition at Public Colleges? State Funding Cuts. | Demos