ABSTRACT
This chapter explains the higher education markets. In mainstream economic theory, markets are understood to be governed by impersonal laws, where arms-length relations between disembodied economic agents prevail. Marketizing agencies set in train a complex of dynamics whereby many actors compete in defining what is a good or service, and in valuing them. This process takes place in socio-technical agencements that is, arrangements of people, technology, tools, laws, calculations, and so on. Transformations at the macro level are tied to new digital technology developments. These are characterised by speed, immediate information dissemination, low reproduction costs, and immense innovation opportunities. Higher education does not stay intact and market innovations successfully penetrate education institutions and individuals through particular solutions at the meso level, which are in turn designing new markets. INTO builds on the macro-level transformations of higher education aimed at making the public education sector into an industry, contributing to national economic development measured in terms of gross domestic product (GDP).
