What Do We Mean by Privatization in Higher Education?

Abstract

The recent scholarship on higher education policy and governance places a great deal of emphasis on how privatization has changed the higher education. Yet, despite the consensus that privatization is important as a concept and causal driver of changes in the environment, there is little consensus on what privatization involves, how it can be operationalized, and how it is linked to other important concepts. This chapter draws on theories in public administration and political science to offer a framework for conceptualizing and operationalizing privatization by considering two dimensions of privatization—which are becoming less public and becoming more private. The chapter then outlines directions for future research and suggests ways in which these concepts could be measured.