Globalisation, democracy and the HE market

Abstract

Higher Education (henceforth HE) is believed to play a key part in the process of globalisation. It is, as a result, being transformed, mainly within the context of the European Union which had set itself the ambitious and unlikely target of becoming the most powerful and competitive ‘knowledge economy’ in the world by the Year 2010 (EC, 2000). Nevertheless, “globalisation is not a single or universal phenomenon. It is nuanced according to locality (local area, nation, world region), language(s) of use, and academic cultures; and it plays out very differently according to the type of institution.” (Marginson and Wende 2007, p.5). In this paper, I take a critical look at some key features of the contemporary discourse surrounding HE within the context of globalisation. I will do so with specific reference to the EU discourse in this area of educational provision and explore prospects for the relationship between HE and democracy. I argue that this discourse pushes state policies regarding HE in the direction of the emergence of a ‘competition state.’(Jessop, 2002). According to Mulderrig (2008), drawing on Jessop (2002), the competition state was already conceived of in the 80s with, for instance, OECD documents “on the importance of structural competitiveness for government policy.’ (Mulderrig, 2008, p. 168). The competition state provides a “focus on securing the economic and extra-economic conditions for international competitiveness in a globalising KBE” (knowledge based economy) (Fairclough and Wodak, 2008, p. 112). The discursive contexts (vide ibidem) in which HE policies are formulated, such as the Lisbon Objectives (EC, 2000) and the Bologna Processii (Confederation of EU Rectors Conferences and Association of European Universities, 2000), provide both constraints and opportunities for actors, institutions, markets and states.