This book examines access, lifelong learning and education for all, which have been policy preoccupations in all countries for more than half a century, but have been overlaid and pushed aside by the development of mass higher education. The authors examine what has been achieved, what lessons have been learnt and what still remains to be done, addressing matters of equity, agency, community, mobility and hierarchy.

Explores the dynamics of higher education and lifelong learning in cross-national settings

Contents 1 Introduction.- Part I Access Beyond Elites.- Chapter 2 Access, Equity and Widening Participation.- Chapter 3 Human Capital Theory and Its Discontents.- Chapter 4 Adult and Lifelong Learning Epistemologies in Africa.- Chapter 5 Widening Access to Higher Education: Changing Demographics, Overcoming Old Barriers and the Role of Lifelong Learning.- Part II Alternative Pathways.- Chapter 6 Beyond the Segmentation Between Vocational Training and Higher Education: New Qualification Pathways in Germany.- Chapter 7 Community Colleges in the United States: Navigating Multiple Missions During Uncertain Times.- Chapter 8 The Alternative Route Revisited.- Chapter 9 Higher Level Vocational Qualifications as Pathways to Work and Further Study.- Part III Learning in Community Settings.- Chapter 10 Partial Inclusions: Smart Cities, Labour Market and Educational Opportunities in India.- Chapter 11 Community Learning Centres in the Asia Region: Popular Education and Community Transformation.- Chapter 12 Learning Outside the Academy: Conceptual Debates and Research Challenges.- Chapter 13 Relations in Learning and Research: The Case of the Centre for Research in Lifelong Learning.