Changing definitions and off-loading responsibility in Alberta's post-secondary system

The introduction of a performance-based funding mechanism by Alberta's provincial government alters the public definition of "educational quality" and fully shifts the responsibility for declining educational quality from the provincial government onto institutions. This article outlines the process by which the provincial government has compelled institutions to accept this redefinition and transfer despite the substantial loss of institutional autonomy it entails. The implications of this change are explored and possible reasons are suggested.