University Social Engagement as Space for Resistance to the Marketization of Higher Education Institutions: A Case Study from the United Kingdom

  • Felix Bivens

Abstract

The recent global economic crisis has accelerated the long-term decline in government fiscal support for higher education (HE). In the United States, the United Kingdom and elsewhere, public subsidies continue to be cut, forcing students to pay higher fees and driving universities further into the marketplace as they generate revenue through contracts with private sector organizations, offering up their knowledge generation capacities to the highest bidders. As such universities are shifting from being subsidiary agents of the state to becoming subsidiary agents of the private sector. As a result, the ability of universities to engage with important social issues is frequently curtailed as they are distanced from their local communities where such social issues are most palpable and the potential of social action most practical.

Keywords

High Education Knowledge Production Community Engagement Comparative International Development Community Partner 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

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© Felix M. Bivens 2014

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  • Felix Bivens

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