Privatizing the Universities

For most of the twentieth century, privatization of state universities seemed inconceivable. By 1997 government reviews of tertiary education in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand were all exploring variations on a market-driven theme. Similar policy agendas were being promoted through international agencies like the World Bank and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). This article examines the convergence of tertiary education restructuring and the extent to which that reflects, and serves to embed, an ascendant neo-liberal hegemony. Taking the extreme example of New Zealand, it assesses the implications of a global competitive model of tertiary education for law schoools in the common law world.