Degrees of Difficulty is my Substack. I take a question about higher education, such as what it is for, who it actually reaches, or why it is built the way it is, and think it through, usually with some history and a little economics. It is written for anyone curious about how the system really works, not only those inside it.
September 2026
A song about television news, and what a degree actually measures.
The accountant who never went to college
August 2026
What chartered accountancy tells us about higher education.
July 2026
Why do we need colleges and universities?