Open Access and Public Policy

Abstract

Governments are becoming increasingly aware of the power of open access and the power of the new technologies to liberate and massify learning. Three reactions are worth pondering: those of the learning industries, those of local government, those of international governments and those of post secondary learning institutions. The learning industries are look for new business models, and many will succeed by even more will flounder. Government are constantly worried about their existing constituences and the quality agenda, international government are worried about trade relations and post secondary collegial institutions are increasingly using ICT's for fiscal rather than pedagogical purposes.