Knowledge as a good in the educational marketplace : the case of the Liverpool University extension in Israel

Abstract

This paper explains the activities of the Liverpool University Extension in Israel according to a new approach that treats knowledge as an economic good operating according to defined rules. The paper reports findings of a case study, performed in the spirit of qualitative research that examined the Liverpool University Extension in Israel, which offers a program toward receipt of the MA in education and art. The purpose of the study was to investigate the Extension as an illustration of the processes of interest. Specifically, the study attempted to determine whether the Liverpool University Extension had adopted and applied principles corresponding to the perception of ‘knowledge as a good’. The study, the first of its kind regarding higher education, explores four issues: (1) the extension’s policy, (2) its programs of study, (3) the student body (i.e., demographic profiles, the reasons for turning to the extension and expectations regarding the program of study) and (4) qualitative aspects of the MA theses submitted. The research questions ask to determine whether a relationship can be established between these four factors and whether those relationships result from the approach adopted (i.e. ‘knowledge as a good’).