Academic Experts Define Shift Toward Postliberal University Governance
Higher education researchers Brendan Cantwell and Barrett Taylor have released a new framework characterizing the transition from neoliberal to postliberal university management. As reported by Inside Higher Ed, their analysis suggests that institutions are moving away from market-based competition and toward a model defined by direct partisan political control and state oversight.
Context from Industry Pulse
The rise of postliberal governance coincides with a period of significant political flux for the higher education sector. While Inside Higher Ed reports that net tuition prices continue to fall, universities face increasing pressure from state legislatures to align with partisan objectives. Recent midterm results, which saw victories for child care and pre-K measures, also signaled shifting priorities for Democratic leaders who are now assessing how to utilize their wins. This environment of heightened oversight reflects a broader move away from the neoliberal focus on market competition and economic innovation, replacing it with a model where political control is the primary driver of institutional policy and curriculum.
"The easiest way to think about the shift from neoliberal to postliberal governance is as a move away from that private good goal toward what we call the partisan good."
The landscape of American higher education is undergoing a fundamental structural shift as state and federal governments exert increasing authority over internal campus operations. According to Inside Higher Ed, professors Brendan Cantwell of Michigan State University and Barrett Taylor of the University of North Texas argue that the era of neoliberal governance is currently receding. This older model prioritized economic efficiency, workforce development, and indirect government steering through performance-based funding mechanisms.
In their new book, The Postliberal University, the authors describe a transition toward what they term the partisan good. As Inside Higher Ed reports, this shift involves state governing coalitions exercising more direct authority over public institutions. While neoliberalism relied on competition to drive institutional behavior, postliberalism is marked by an expansion of state power into specific areas including curriculum, personnel decisions, and shared governance structures.
The authors note that this encroachment is a bipartisan trend, though the specific applications differ significantly depending on the controlling political party. Republican-led states have demonstrated more aggressive interventions regarding faculty working conditions and classroom instruction. Regardless of the specific political leaning, Inside Higher Ed details how state governments are systematically constraining the ability of academic professionals to shape institutional decision-making.
To navigate this environment, the researchers suggest that university presidents must look beyond individual institutional management and lead the entire sector. The transition is occurring against a backdrop of federal research funding cuts and administrative probes into admissions practices. By defining this new governance accord, the authors aim to provide university leaders with a framework for preserving institutional missions during a period of heightened government involvement.
The Industry Pulse Bottom Line
University leaders must adapt to a postliberal era where institutional autonomy is increasingly curtailed by direct state intervention, requiring a shift from competitive management to political navigation.