A long run appraisal of the economics of government provided tertiary education and training in New Zealand

This paper begins by reviewing the economic justification for government intervention in the provision of education and training. In the following sections an historical account of the development of vocational education and training in New Zealand is provided giving stress on the degree to which this development was influenced by market forces. Following on an analysis of the changing level of efficiency of the government run polytechnics in New Zealand is carried out which finds that although the productivity of these institutions has improved over the course of the 1990s there is still scope for improvement.