The Impacts of Neo-Liberalism

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The Impacts of Neo-Liberalism on Chinas Higher Education Ka Ho Mok and Yat Wai Lo[1] Centre for East Asian Studies, University of Bristol Citation information URL:   author: Ka Ho Mok and Yat Wai Lo[1] Journal for Critical Education Policy StudiesVolume 5, Number 1 (May 2007)ISSN 1740-2743  
Introduction In the last two decades, China has experienced significant economic transformations and social changes. The economic reforms started in the late 1970s have unquestionably enabled some social groups to become wealthy. Nonetheless, the same processes have also widened the gap between the rich and the poor and intensified regional disparities in China (Keng, 2006; Weil, 2006). Most significant of all, embracing the market economy has inevitably challenged the way socialism is practiced in China: this has also led to the growing prominence of ideas and strategies along the lines of neo-liberalism being adopted not only in reforming the economic sector but also in managing the public sector and in delivering social policy (Wong and Flynn, 2001; So, 2006). More recently, the Chinese government has attempted to internationalize the country by following the models set out by some of the supranational organizations such as the World Bank and the World Trade Organization (WTO). After struggling for 15 years for membership, China achieved accession to the WTO in 2001. After becoming a member of the WTO, it is clear that the norms, guidelines and regulations of that organisation have influenced not only the way that trade and business are managed, but also how Higher Education is run, especially when Higher Education is defined as a service by the General Agreement on Trade as a WTO directive (