The Use of Higher Education as Part of the Permanent Campaign

• In Event: Roundtable Session 28
  In Roundtable Session: The Role and Influence of Policy Actors in Higher Education Policy

Abstract

Over the last 30 years, American politics transitioned into a state of never-ending campaigns, a recursive cycle fueled by fundraising needs, the polarization of the political parties, and the 24-hour news cycle. Federal policy regarding higher education currently exists within the dynamic of the permanent campaign. However, studies of federal postsecondary policy too infrequently consider the larger political contexts within which policy making occurs. The goal of this study is to understand the contemporary political environment through a content analysis of the public speeches and comments of US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

Author

• Michael S. Harris, Southern Methodist University