Higher Education in China and Chile (1950-2024): Institutional Trajectories, Turning Points, and Common Challenges

Abstract

This study analyzes the evolution of higher education in China and Chile between 1950 and 2024 from the perspective of comparative historical institutionalism. Its objective is to identify institutional trajectories, major turning points, and current challenges in both systems. Using diachronic and synchronic comparison, it examines political, economic, social, institutional, and cultural dimensions. The results show that China, under strong state leadership, consolidated the university as an instrument of modernization and scientific development, while Chile, through liberalization and privatization, expanded coverage but increased social segmentation and heterogeneity in quality. Despite structural differences, both countries face common tensions related to quality, equity, and financing, as well as the shared challenge of digitalization in the post-pandemic era. The study contributes to understanding the diversity of higher education paths in the Global South and offers valuable lessons for contemporary policy design in higher education.