ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book examines student participation in light of broader issues of resource scarcity in South Africa, within the context of historical, economic and socio-political challenges that shape higher education in the global South. South African universities are faced with four equally important policy goals, which are equity, efficiency, democratic participation and development. Despite important nuances between the global North and South, a number of factors define patterns of inequality in higher education. In tracing inequality in developed and developing contexts, family income, race, gender, quality of primary and secondary schooling, and socioeconomic status influence the freedom to gain access to and benefit from higher education. Some international literature concerned with inequality and higher education pays particular attention to the impact of neoliberal economic policies on higher education and the role of globalisation in reshaping the aims of higher education.
