Norwegian Journal of development of the International Science No 42/2020
71
SOCIAL SCIENCES ACADEMIC AND INFORMATIONAL CAPITALISM AS PRODUCTS OF THE GLOBALIZED MARKET Stryhul M., Ph.D. (in Sociology), Associate Professor, Department of Sociology and Political Science,National Aviation University Khomeriki O. Doctor of Sociological Sciences, Professor, Head of the Department of Sociology and Political Science, National Aviation University Abstract The article provides a theoretical and methodological analysis of the impact of globalization on the educational system through the prism of sociological analysis and, at the same time, identifies the main causes and components of the globalization of education in the context of educational practices and discourses. Turning to the analysis of American sociologists, it is indicated that the international space of higher education is uneven, hierarchical and constantly competing. Academic capitalism, globalization, international competition and the stratification of higher education have become more relevant, which in turn leads to competition for social and academic prestige. Global communications and mobility have created the conditions for the emergence of a global market for higher education. It is proved that in the globalization process, higher education is brought into line with the requirements and practice of different markets both at the national and international levels. Keywords: sociology of education, economism, capitalism, market, globalization. The most controversial change in American educational systems is ‘academic capitalism’. In 1997, S. Slaughter and L. Leslie in their paper ‘Academic Capitalism: Politics, Policies and the Entrepreneurial University’ suggested to use this term for denoting transformations of the traditional order of professional university activity caused at the end of the 20th century and at the beginning of the 21st century by globalization phenomena in the spheres of economy and politics. Under the conditions of globalization, operation of universities is increasingly obtaining features of one of the market structures. For the sake of appropriate financial provision of their existence, universities are forced to apply different methods of raising money; apart from traditional sources – budget financing and donations from natural persons and charity funds – money is obtained for conducting commissioned scientific-technical research, under commercial contracts or for retraining personnel in the interests of business structures (firms, companies, corporations etc.) or from independent conduction of commercial, intermediary or productional activity. Market relations are increasingly playing an important role in the operation of academic institutions. It leads to such phenomena like introduction of temporary employment, full or partial privatization, redistribution of expenses, and, at the same time, it also causes negative consequences – contraction of academic freedoms, violation of the ensured right for labor, damage to local culture and traditions. Globalizational challenges caused the emergence of new forms, structures, ideas and initiatives; introduction of changes into the scheme of paying a reward for a form of academic activity actualize the ones and obviate other kinds of university activity. Examining current changes happening at higher educational institutions in the USA, Great Britain, Australia and Canada, S. Slaughter and L. Leslie conclude that ‘regardless of the principal differences of political cultures in the four
countries, there are being fulfilled similar policies in the fields where higher education is intervened with globalization of postindustrial political economy. Education in these countries is characterized by the transition to scientific-technical policies which is strengthening academic capitalism and harming fundamental research’. The above mentioned researchers in the paper ‘Academic Capitalism: Politics, Policies and the Entrepreneurial University’ claim that academic capitalism is a policy aimed at transformating universities from the centers of liberal arts to the entrepreneurial peripheries where research and scientific developments are conducted with commercial purposes [4]. Emergence of academic capitalism resulted from a whole range of reasons. Firstly, because of frequent economic problems universities generally undergoes programmed of state financing shortage, and thus they need additional sources of obtaining money for their operation. Secondly, competitiveness of business structures on global markets is impossible without the introduction of innovations technologies and usage of advanced scientific achievements for the sake of fast renovation of the range of goods and extension of the sphere of services. Such scientific developments and innovations, technologies can be produced by either own scientific laboratories or institutes, creation of which costs a stupendous amount of money, or by universities. The mutual interest of companies and universities in cooperation has lead to the so called ‘second academic revolution’, and under the influence of the above mentioned factors, there appeared a certain balance in relations between state bodies, universities and business structures. According to S. Slaughter and L. Leslie, through engaging external financing sources in individual or collective scientific research, academic capitalism correlates harmoniously with all other kinds of activity practicing the same engagement. Being a subject of market relations, universities are directly in-
