On the possibility of a public regime in higher education: rethinking normative principles and policy frameworks

• Published in: Critical studies in education Vol. 64; no. 2; pp. 151 - 167
• Main Author: Durán Del Fierro, Francisco
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Melbourne Routledge 15.03.2023; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Administrative Organization; Commercialization; conflictivity; decommodification; Diversity (Institutional); Education policy; Educational Change; Educational Policy; Freedom; Higher Education; Institutional Autonomy; institutional diversity and autonomy; Marketing; Neoliberalism; Objectivity; Public regime; Quality Assurance
• ISSN: 1750-8487; 1750-8495
• DOI: 10.1080/17508487.2022.2032234

The process of reversing a neoliberal regime in highly marketised higher education systems entails the discussion of such a regime's normative principles and policy frameworks. Little has been said about what decommodification would involve or the implications of such a project for the constitution of a public regime in higher education. Two principles are discussed in this paper to delve into these concerns in detail: institutional diversity and autonomy. In addition, the role of quality policies is considered. In this respect, I critically analyse how the neoliberal regime in higher education has adopted these normative principles and policies. I claim that this regime has defined the content of the boundaries of such elements through a particular understanding of objectivity, neutrality and impartiality. Then, I discuss the plausibility of a public regime in higher education by rethinking these categories, which entails the reconsideration of the relationship between power, knowledge and subjectivity.