The politics of the universities

This paper is about choice. It is a word we hear a lot about these days and which, in marketspeak, equates citizenship with consumption. Hence, political choice is no longer made by citizens, but by consumers and taxpayers. The corresponding objective of politics is to improve the choices which consumers and taxpayers face. This involves a shift in systems of governance from statecentred decision-making, where socially-defined outcomes are to be achieved through specified budgets, to state regulation designed to assist the market achieve economic efficiency, provide incentives for wealth creation, minimise government financial risk and maximise individual choice. Because the market is non-discriminating, it also ensures equity, diversity and opportunity.