State-Level Centralization and Policy Innovation in U.S. Postsecondary Education

Abstract

This article examines the emergence of innovative policies in public postsecondary education systems. The findings, based on an analysis of recent data, suggest that states' postsecondary governance structures have influences on innovation that are independent of the other social, educational, and economic factors included in the model. For example, states with relatively centralized governance arrangements were found to be more likely than other states to impose mandatory student assessment. The policy implications of these findings are discussed.