The Death of Socrates: Managerialism, Metrics and Bureaucratisation in Universities

Neoliberalism exults the ability of unregulated markets to optimise human relations. Yet, as David Graeber has recently illustrated, it is paradoxically built on rigorous systems of rules, metrics and managers. The potential transition to a market-based tuition and research-funding model for higher...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Australian universities' review Vol. 58; no. 2; pp. 15 - 25
Main Authors Orr, Yancey, Orr, Raymond
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published National Tertiary Education Union 01.09.2016
Subjects
Academic Achievement
Academic Freedom
College Administration
College Faculty
Course Descriptions
Educational Change
Educational Improvement
Efficiency
Faculty Publishing
Foreign Countries
Higher Education
Neoliberalism
Qualitative Research
Scheduling
School Culture
Teacher Attitudes
Time Management
Universities
Values
Australia
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Summary:Neoliberalism exults the ability of unregulated markets to optimise human relations. Yet, as David Graeber has recently illustrated, it is paradoxically built on rigorous systems of rules, metrics and managers. The potential transition to a market-based tuition and research-funding model for higher education in Australia has, not surprisingly, been preceded by managerialism, metrics and bureaucratisation (rendered hereafter as "MMB") in the internal functioning of universities in the last decade. This article explores the effects of MMB on the lives of academics, the education of students, and the culture and functioning of universities. By examining some of the labour activities of academics, work scheduling and time use, we demonstrate that MMB reduces the efficiency and quality of academic teaching, research and administration. Even more worrying, by qualitatively assessing the language, values and logic increasingly present in the academic culture of higher education in Australia, we show that MMB does not simply fail to improve universities or accurately assess academic achievement, it replaces the core values of education with hollow bureaucratic instrumentalism.
ISSN:0818-8068