Are neo-liberal reforms friendly to academic freedom and creativity? Some theoretical and practical reflections on the constituents of academic self-determination in research universities

What happens to academic freedom in contemporary higher education institutions and systems, particularly those of the Westminster type (UK, Australia, New Zealand) asks Simon Marginson. The paper begins by identifying the constituents of academic freedom, here designated as academic self-determination, operating at the level of individual practices in academic units. The paper then considers the implications of the neo-liberal project, in higher education government, policy and management, for those constituents of academic freedom. The 'neo-liberal project' refers to an amalgam of techniques including the installation of funding-based economic incentives in place of professional, vocational and scholarly ends, user-driven production, the pricing and sale of outputs, output monitoring and measurement, performance management and pay; contracts with and incentives to partner with industry and commercialize research motivations and research products; and systems of accountability and audit, including contracts with government, that bed down external control of the work.