(a) It is the mechanics that bother me; you want to put more money into the system, reward those that are taking more students, punish those who are not. But this approach is funding-driven; it doesn't address the real issues of what you need to do in higher education.(b) I wouldn't want to apply these formulas mechanistically. I think it is even more damaging to be mechanistic when there are fewer resources. It is probably less justifiable then, than in was in the time of growth.
(c) I think that government planners always look for formulas, without clear experience of how they work.
(d) There are things that might be done, but it becomes very expensive to monitor to see whether or not the reforms are really warranting the additional funding. I think when all is said and done you are tinkering on the fringes of the more major significant needs, when you start trying to do something like that. I doubt that it would really warrant the kind of expenditure. Every time someone talks about a reform it costs money.