ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the context for contemporary policies on widening participation is reviewed and the forms taken by these interventions are outlined. The distinctive features of this policy enterprise are highlighted, including its genesis and politics. Its debates and directions are described, especially those that require each university and college to demonstrate a commitment to widening participation as a condition of public funding. The purpose is to expand on some of the themes introduced by Miriam David in the opening chapter and so set the scene for the contributions that follow.
