The education establishment and “progressives” keep wailing that the states (or at least many of them) have been reducing their spending on higher education. (They term it “disinvestment” but little of the appropriations for state higher ed systems can accurately be regarded as “investment.”) Say it often enough and loudly enough and people will believe it.


One scholar who wanted to look at the evidence about this matter is Andrew Gillen. He wrote a paper recently for the Texas Public Policy Foundation in which he argued that it just isn’t true that there has been any “disinvestment.” About the same time, another paper was published by the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities that pushes the leftist line.

In a Martin Center article, Gillen explains why his approach is sound, whereas that of the competing study is flawed.

I think that Gillen is right, but it wouldn’t bother me in the least if states in fact were “disinvesting” from their higher ed systems. They have been absorbing too many scarce dollars for decades and some fiscal discipline is very much in order. Administrative bloat fed by big budgets needs to be lopped off.