Abstract
In higher education funding debates, Australia has been ranked ‘second last in the OECD’ for its public investment in universities. Yet such comparisons overlook particular features of the Australian situation. Five general problems with the ‘second-last’ narrative are examined. Many interpretations of OECD statistics overstate the Australian under-funding case and raise questions of relevance in domestic funding debates. Flawed comparisons drawn from OECD data do not appear to be confined to Australian commentary.
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Image source Universities Australia (2015c, p. 15).
Data source OECD, National Accounts at a Glance (2015b).
Data source OECD, National Accounts at a Glance (2015b).
Source Department of Education and Training (2015, p. 29).
Source Norton and Cherastidtham, Mapping Australian Higher Education 2014–2015.
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This paper points to error, not wilful misuse of OECD data. Its title is a blend of two famously ironic quotes: Benjamin Disraeli on ‘lies, damned lies and statistics’ and Mark Twain on Australian history as ‘beautiful lies’.
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Sharrock, G. Beautiful Lies, Damned Statistics: Reframing How Australian University Finances are Compared with the OECD. High Educ Policy 31, 333–357 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41307-017-0058-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41307-017-0058-4