The report "State Approaches to Short-Term Postsecondary Credentials: Challenges, Opportunities, and Policy Gaps" explores how state policymakers engage with short-term postsecondary credentials, highlighting key policy levers such as state authorization, consumer protections, financial aid, and quality standards. It examines the…

In my inquiry, I explore Chinese urban youth culture under the one-child policy through analyses of two Chinese Internet subcultural artifacts--"A Bloody Case of a Steamed Bun" and "Du Fu Is Busy." Using Douglas Kellner's "multiperspectival cultural studies" (i.e., cultural studies, critical theory, and critical media…

The extent of competition in the market affects the balance of bargaining power of market participants. When price discrimination is low, it increases consumer welfare - that is, if the price does not correspond to the evaluation of each product by the consumer, then discrimination allows for additional consumers to buy the product at a price,…

Constantly on the lookout for Canadian mathematics education matters, I recently experienced a major personal tipping point. The juxtaposition of two different customer service situations was simply too much for me to handle. Now through the looking glass, it was abundantly clear that tipping in Canada is unconscious, and the evidence was…

Consumers are increasingly willing to pay more for sustainably produced goods, yet many find these alternatives too costly and less effective. The fashion industry struggles to balance sustainability and performance, particularly in textiles, where synthetic fibers dominate. Education is key to informed consumer choices, and biomaterials, like…

While recovering from a major personal tipping point (see Part I), I was still able to keep on the lookout for Canadian mathematics education matters. After all, if Canadian mathematics education matters, Canadian mathematics education matters. In doing so, I ran into a number of other financial problems. Everywhere I turned was a financial…

The contribution of 'consumerism' to environmental degradation has been widely acknowledged. An anti-consumerist perspective appeals because it draws attention to the ideological underpinnings of people's attitudes and day-to-day behaviour, but the tone of the debate often leads to polarisation rather than a productive engagement in dialogue. To…

Breakfast on the Farm educational farm tours were introduced in Michigan in 2009 to improve consumer knowledge about, impressions of, and trust in modern food production. Over 89,000 participants have attended events on 40 commercial dairy, beef, crop, and fruit farms. This article addresses organization and funding of the events and some of their…

The article begins with a fictional example of a life that has been spent frugally in several different ways and for different reasons over time: in wartime, through many decades of simple living, through a period marked by anxiety over the threat to future generations from the depletion of global resources and the climate crisis, to the COVID-19…

Household food waste (HFW) presents a global sustainability challenge, significantly impacting the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Particularly, HFW hampers the progress of SDG 2 (zero hunger) and SDG 12 (responsible consumption and production). With an estimated global annual food waste of 931 million tons, consumers are…

In a 2017 speech at the Brookings Institute, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos drew a striking comparison between K-12 schools and ride share services. This idea--that education, like other consumer goods, improves through competition between providers--has been around a long time. Whenever existing schools fail to deliver what students, parents, or…

In today's ever-changing and trend-focused climate, educators often are tempted to jump on the newest craze to hit the educational scene. Sometimes, after closer examination, it becomes clear that the new instructional strategies are more than short-term trends; in fact, they may be an idea that feels familiar. This is the case with project-based…

Student consumerism in the Higher Education (HE) sector continues to stimulate critical academic commentary about the consequences of marketisation. Although much of the debate focuses on the effects that consumerism has on student achievement, little empirical research has analysed the effect that consumerism has on teaching and associated…

Due to the Industrial Revolution in Britain, the spread of production and consumption paved the way for consumption, especially excessive and luxury consumption, ceasing to be the privilege of aristocrats and other upper social classes. With the development of modern capitalism, the bourgeoisie/middle classes, which started to rise in the West,…

An alternative perspective of financial literacy questioned the conceptual legitimacy of sustained personal fulfillment through maximization of financial net worth. In this alternative view, a focus on financial assets and their accumulation constitutes an activity of objectification that perceives other individuals as vehicles for personal social…