Privatizing the Public University : Perspectives from Across the Academy

by Morphew, Christopher C.; Eckel, Peter D.

• ISBN13: 9780801891649
• ISBN10: 0801891647
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-05-11
• Publisher: Johns Hopkins Univ Pr

Summary

With public colleges and universities facing substantial budget cuts and increased calls for accountability, more institutions now rely on private revenue streams for support. As market-driven policies and behaviors become more commonplace, some cautious critics sound the alarm, while others watching the bottom line cheer. But which perspective gets it right? Does the privatization of public higher education threaten its very mission or support it?In this collection of essays, economists, policy makers, political scientists, sociologists, and organizational researchers discuss the impact of privatization from their respective disciplinary persepctives and assess its implications for the future of higher education.Privatization may bring additional funds and services that are free from government regulations and oversight, but does it also allow private interests to have undue influence over public higher education? Should public universities have to compete in the economic marketplace as vigorously as they do in the marketplace of ideas? What are the implications when institutions of higher learning function like businesses?With privatization now a reality for most public colleges and universities, an objective examination of the issue from these diverse academic perspectives will be welcomed by those struggling with its challenges.

Author Biography

Christopher C. Morphew is an associate professor in the Institute of Higher Education at the University of Georgia. Peter D. Eckel is the director of Programs and Initiatives at the Center for Effective Leadership at the American Council on Education and author of The Shifting Frontiers of Academic Decision Making: Responding to New Priorities, Following New Pathways.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. vii
Privatizing the Public Research University	p. 1
The Origins and Growth of State Policies That Privatize Public Higher Education	p. 7
Incomplete Contracts and the Political Economy of Privatization	p. 33
An Economist's Perspective on the Privatization of Public Higher Education	p. 60
The Organizational Dynamics of Privatization in Public Research Universities	p. 88
Governing the Privatized Public Research University	p. 109
Policy Lessons from the Privatization of Public Agencies	p. 134
Privatizing the Public European University	p. 160
Toward a Clearer Understanding of Privatization	p. 181
Contributors	p. 193
Index	p. 197
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