Sir Sydney Caine examines a number of inter-related questions which are seldom asked fairly and thoroughly, weighting the need to respect academic independence against the public interest. The result is a most stimulating discussion on a topic of vital concern for the future of Britain.

Sir Sydney Caine, KCMG (1902 – 1991) was an educator and economist. He was the Financial Secretary of Hong Kong from 1937 to 1940. He was appointed the Director of the London School of Economics (LSE) between 1957 and 1967. He was an alumnus of the LSE and before his appointment as Director of the school he was a well known economist who had acted as a Consultant for the World Bank for a period of time and had worked as a diplomat, appointed Minister at the British Embassy in Washington, USA. Between 1952 and 1957, he was the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Malaya. Between 1963 and 1970 he was the Chairman of the Governing Board of the UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning.