Natural Monopoly In European Countries? WHAT?

Question

Most European countries have nationalized universities and colleges. Some countries also use the law to ban private colleges. Can higher education be classified as a natural monopoly in European countries?

Can the professional skills and scholarly achievements that constitute a faculty be classified as large, fixed costs? What about medical drugs corporations?

Does anyone think this is rediculous or rational?

Answer 1

Whether a given social policy is ridiculous or rational depends on your perspective.  Do you believe education should be primarily available to the richest or to the most intelligent?  Do you believe that Universities should be accredited with high standards or should anyone be able to hang out a shingle and sell degrees?  Should the best faculty be concentrated in just a few Universities, or should they be spread among many to assure that higher education is available to everyone?

European Universities are primarily filled with students who score the highest on standardized exams (so they are presumably the most intelligent without regard to means).  You are not supposed to be able to bribe your way into Oxford or the Sorbonne no matter how rich your parents are (though corruption sometimes occurs, especially if your family is titled). But you must be quite intelligent to get a spot in Law or Medical faculties, so it is egalitarian with regards to means but elitist with regards to intelligence.

The best American Universities are filled with students whose parents are able to pay.  Even mediocre students are admitted if their parents are able to make large contributions or are alumni.  A few spaces are awarded to the most intelligent, who can win scholarships and get large student loans. State sponsored Universities, which are subsidized are competitive, but are not the the most prestigious.  Unaccredited schools are available to everyone else.  So it is more egalitarian with regards to intelligence, but elitist with regards to means.

Faculty is a semi-fixed cost because of tenure.  Research grants and corporate sponsorship is not awarded equally in either the European or American systems.