| This study examined the relationship between rules in use and ten indicators of student participation and completion for higher education systems in a 26 state purposeful sample. The conceptual framework for the study was based on an adaptation of Institutional Analysis developed by the Alliance for International Higher Education Policy Studies (Richardson and Martinez, 2009) which viewed behavior as a function of the informal and formal that order relationships and determine actions that are required, prohibited or permitted within a social system. (North, 1990; Ostrom, E., Gardner & Waker, 1994) Within this scheme, rules in use are concrete observed behaviors that reflect the impact of state policies on the actions of system participants as they pursue their individual and group priorities.;Rules in use for the 26 state systems were measured by a survey developed from in depth case studies of five of the 26 state systems. Hierarchical regression analysis was employed to predict ten performance indicators (four related to participation and six to completion), using state effort and state characteristics as control variables, and rules in use as the independent variables. Results indicated a strong and highly significant relationship between rules in use and most of the participation and completion indicators. Public policies, as reflected by the rules in use, not only increased the explanatory power of models in nine out of ten cases, but also altered the influence of some control variables that were not by themselves significant predictors.;The concept of rules in use as the formal and informal constraints arising from state policy that shape human behavior can be an important tool for policymakers and those involved in leading state higher education systems. Understanding how rules shape the behaviors of system participants as they pursue their individual goals as well as those on the public agenda can contribute significantly to an effective public agenda for changing higher education system performance. |
