Higher Education, Commercial Criteria and Economic Incentives

Commercial criteria are being increasingly used for restructuring higher education. They influence both broad institutional policies and the incentive structures facing individual academics. However, the underlying presumption of an association between efficiency and competitive market processes is problematic. The 'economic rationalist' model is shown to be inappropriate for higher education. It awkwardly combines market principles with corporate managerialist practices. It affects employment relationships, challenging conventional notions of professionalism and extending the 'commodification' of academic labour. These commercialised characteristics of contemporary educational institutions are contestable.