Financial Support for National Higher Education Systems during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Review of the Experience of European Countries

Abstract

The paper analyzes the public financial support measures implemented in different higher education systems during the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis is illustrated by the cases of eight countries, including Russia. In their paper, the authors present the key characteristics of the support measures and interventions, specifically, the main recipients of financial support, the duration of the interventions, and the overall amount of additional funds. The case analysis is complemented by a comprehensive review of the studies on the functioning of higher education systems during the pandemic mainly from the perspective of university funding.

Despite the fact that the authors examined relatively similar higher education systems, results demonstrate no universal principle of additional funding for universities. The paper proposes a comparative analysis and typology of state support measures for universities during the COVID-19 pandemic in different national higher education systems. It also provides the database for further analysis of the efficiency of implemented support measures for higher education.

Acknowledgements. This article is an output of a research project implemented as part of the Basic Research Program at the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE University).