Contextualising the extrinsic outcomes of higher education during mass expansion: an introduction
本文探讨全球高等教育大众扩张中，个人成就与经济、社会结构之间的互动，指出高等教育对经济生产力、公共福祉和社会流动的贡献具有条件性，并主张重新评估高等教育的衡量标准。
This Special Issue explores the extrinsic outcomes of higher education in the context of global mass expansion, focusing on the interplay between individual attainment and economic and societal structures. While tertiary enrolment rates have more than doubled over the past two decades, disparities in graduate outcomes persist, reflecting systemic inequities and structural barriers. The present paper underscores the contingent nature of higher education’s contributions to economic productivity, the public good, and social mobility by synthesising theoretical perspectives, empirical evidence, and cross-national comparisons. The paper advocates for recalibrating the metrics used to evaluate higher education, extending beyond monetary returns to better capture broader and long-term impacts. By advancing a cross-national perspective, the Special Issue seeks to inform policies that enhance equity, adaptability, and the transformative potential of higher education in a rapidly evolving global context.