Miller, Brian (2014) Free to manage? : a neo-liberal defence of academic freedom in British higher education. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 36 (2). pp. 143-154. ISSN 1360-080X
Full text not available from this repository.Abstract
Much of the rhetoric opposing managerialism in higher education can be ascribed to philosophical and political objections to the neo-liberal ideology which is alleged to underlie the phenomenon. This paper approaches managerialism from a different direction, addressing it within a neo-liberal framework. The paper argues that there is no intrinsic reason why support for a neo-liberal philosophy should equate with a belief in the need for managerialism in higher education. In particular, the author argues that neo-liberalism values freedom above other principles and that managerialism curtails academic freedom through control, instrumentalism and ideology and that, in all of these respects, it is counter-liberal. The paper concludes by suggesting an alternative approach to higher education which would enhance the importance of academic freedom within a neo-liberal policy framework.