Opening doors or narrowing opportunities? : the Coalition's approach to Widening Participation, Social Mobility and Social Justice

This chapter analyses the Coalition government’s policies on social mobility and social justice with a focus on widening participation in higher education. The chapter traces continuities and shifts in policies aimed at addressing inequalities in higher education from New Labour to the Coalition. Changes in discourse are examined, followed by an analysis of the Coalition’s policy proposals, including reforms of admission procedures and retracting from ‘raising aspiration’ strategies. The chapter concludes with an outlook to potential developments after the election, suggesting a need for a broader debate on the role of (higher) education