Principles and pragmatism in the 'privatisation' of british higher education
By: STONE, Diane
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ArticlePublisher: UK : Policy Press, july. 1998Subject(s): ChinaPolicy & Politics 26, 3, p. 255-271Abstract: The British higher education system has been a site of privatisation for nearly two decades. While this has not been officially acknowledged, an incremental and uneven process of privatisation has occurred in the context of managerial and administrative reform. Although the impetus for privatisation was initiated by Conservative governments concerned to reduce higher education funding dependence on the state, increasingly privatisation measures are being considered more widely within the higher education sector as a pragmatic response to the current funding crisis. Yet, the ground work for privatisation - the ideas, plans and proposals as well as the advocacy and agenda-shaping activities to soften public opinion in favour of fees, loans and private capital - occurred many years in advance. Accordingly, this paper provides a study of agenda setting and the gradual acceptance of privatisation ideas in higher education prior to the 1997 general election
The British higher education system has been a site of privatisation for nearly two decades. While this has not been officially acknowledged, an incremental and uneven process of privatisation has occurred in the context of managerial and administrative reform. Although the impetus for privatisation was initiated by Conservative governments concerned to reduce higher education funding dependence on the state, increasingly privatisation measures are being considered more widely within the higher education sector as a pragmatic response to the current funding crisis. Yet, the ground work for privatisation - the ideas, plans and proposals as well as the advocacy and agenda-shaping activities to soften public opinion in favour of fees, loans and private capital - occurred many years in advance. Accordingly, this paper provides a study of agenda setting and the gradual acceptance of privatisation ideas in higher education prior to the 1997 general election
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