Conclusions

Abstract

What has been shown through the discussion of various aspects of quality in higher education is that education as a whole, but perhaps higher education in particular, defies simple description as a ‘product’. It is partly a private good, partly a public good, and partly a positional good. It is partly investment, in the sense that it develops the person to play an active economic role in society. At the same time it is partly consumption, providing pleasure and fulfilment, and in many cases serving as an end in itself.