Introduction

The “marketization” (Williams, 1995) of higher education-the application of the economic theory of the market to the provision of higher education-seems unstoppable. Market entry is being liberalized. Tuition fees are being introduced or increased, usually at the expense of state grants to institutions (Salmi, 2009a). Grants for student support (aid) are being supplemented by loans. Institutional rankings and “league tables” to guide student choice are proliferating. Institutions are devoting increasing energy and resources to marketing, branding and customer service. Nor is this phenomenon confined to student education. Much academic research and scholarship is subject to market or “quasi-market” (Le Grand and Bartlett, 1993) coordination as, increasingly, is the recruitment and remuneration of faculty and other staff. Fund raising (seeking donations from alumni and others) is a longstanding feature of the US system and, increasingly, of others. Everywhere institutions are being encouraged or compelled to increase their private funding and reduce their reliance on the taxpayer.