Three international scholars presented comparative overviews of the relationship between the federal governments and individual provinces of Canada and Lander in Germany at the Institute on Friday, January 17. Their discussion focused on postsecondary governance in international contexts. Deanna Rexe, Martin Maltais, and Jens Jungblut presented an open guest lecture to Erik Ness’s State Systems of Higher Education course. Rexe and Maltais summarized the Canadian post-secondary environment and Jungblut spoke to the changing relationship between the federal and Lander governments over higher education in Germany. The Canadian landscape has most changed by major growth in the private vocational and career colleges in recent years. This segment is now the largest block of institutions in the post-secondary system with nearly 500 enterprises. Rexe noted the major difference between US and Canada is the principle that all powers not specified in the national constitution fall to the federal authorities, unlike the US where the unenumerated areas falling to the states. Maltais discussed the unique aspects of education in Quebec province and the efforts to improve policy communication and more inclusivity in development. Jungblut spoke of the balance shift between the federal government and the Lander. Following World War II, the Lander co-governed in most policy areas as a check on central power. In practice, the federal government welded greater power through “fiscal federalism” and since the 1960s used this power to fund or defund to influence policy and growth. Since 2003, more responsibility for higher education has shifted to the Lander. Dr. Deanna Rexe is vice-president of academic affairs at Assiniboine Community College and adjunct professor and affiliated scholar of Simon Fraser University. Dr. Martin Maltais is deputy cabinet director for higher education at the Quebec Ministry of Education. Dr. Jens Jungblut is associate professor for public policy/public administration at the University of Oslo. View recording of session Type of News/Audience: General News Tags: Interrnational
