Since the 1970s, around the globe, governments recognised the economic and social benefits of expanding student participation in higher education. A highly skilled workforce came to be identified as a key cornerstone of competitive advantage. And thus, the movement to expand higher education in first world countries began, moving from elite to mass systems typified by that of the United States. The transformational journey, over a number of decades, as explored in this chapter, focuses on key actors in influencing and shaping government policy, with a particular focus on England. Additionally, four key pivot points are identified: firstly, the post-war expansion of higher education: massification. Secondly, the determination of how governments’ increased expenditure on higher education could be justified, i.e., the need for public accountability (which led to the development of quality assurance systems around the globe). Thirdly, the move from base-line approaches to quality enhancement (i.e., added value). And, finally, from the early 2000s, governments placing a much greater spotlight on the purposes of higher education, leading to concerns for equality and equity issues. Meanwhile, technological advances, and the various reports they informed, led to broader access to trend analysis, providing data that highlight diversity and inclusivity issues. The chapter concludes with reference to the Covid-19 pandemic, representing an insufficiently explored additional pivot point in this narrative of post-war massification and quality enhancement.

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