Universities as anchor institutions in cities in a turbulent funding environment: vulnerable institutions and vulnerable places in England

Abstract

The paper examines universities as anchor institutions in the context of a major upheaval in the funding of English higher education. The various components of these changes are combined into a multivariate indicator of institutional vulnerability for universities in England. This is then linked to a classification of university cities to identify the most vulnerable institutions in the most vulnerable places with the greatest dependence on higher education. The paper concludes with a discussion of the need for sensitivity to issues of place in any forthcoming restructuring of English higher education arising from the funding changes.