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Title: The Embeddedness of Privatization
Article: Privatization as the New Normal in Higher Education: Synthesizing Literature and Reinvigorating Research Through a Multilevel Framework
Published In: Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research
Abstract
Privatization in US higher education has recently been framed as the new normal, or something scholars treat as the default state of affairs with little expectation of change in the foreseeable future. In this chapter we synthesize the literature on privatization, calling for a renewed research agenda that challenges this normalization and reinvigorates study of this important topic. More specifically, we analyze the conceptualizations, origins, catalysts, and manifestations of privatization in the literature. We advance five arguments about the privatization throughout the chapter, underscoring conceptual murkiness, fragmented lines of inquiry, unanswered questions, and methodological limitations. We propose a multilevel framework to understand the privatization literature and bring together disparate strands of inquiry. We conclude by outlining a renewed research agenda on privatization, highlighting several directions for future research and advocating for improved data and research methods.