Distributive justice and massification doctoral degree in Social Sciences and Humanities by SECIHTI (2012-2025)
Abstract
This article examines the massification of PhD in Social Sciences and Humanities in Mexico under SECIHTI (2012-2025) from a normative political economy perspective. Based on North, Brown and Bourdieu, it analyzes how institutional incentives drove expansion and set up a possible trap of opportunities for fellows, reproducing academic capital and deepening inequalities. The discussion proposes a normative framework aimed at mitigating these risks through distributive justice (Rawls), the search for a public function of knowledge (Cortina) and the establishment of a deliberative legitimacy (Habermas). It is argued that expanding doctoral credentials does not guarantee social mobility or equity if structural inequalities and symbolic concentration persist. The article presents an evaluation of doctoral policy in terms of justice, disciplinary plurality and institutional sustainability
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