Faculty Attitudes Toward Academic Capitalism in Israel

• In Event: Poster Session 7
  In Poster Session: Division J Section 4 Poster Session 1

Abstract

In the past decade, many public universities around the world have undergone privatization processes due to dwindling public support, yet the reaction of their faculty is an understudied topic. Using a representative mail survey of 1548 faculty members in Israel’s six public universities, this study assesses the reactions of the faculty to the severity of the capitalistic phenomena in the academy. The analysis reveals that faculty members define academic capitalism in two main aspects: Intervention in work process and Commercialization of research and teaching. Multivariate regression analyses reveal that faculty attitudes correlate with institutional and disciplinary affiliation as well as personal characteristics. These results are discussed with respect to their impact on the future of the Israeli higher education system.

Authors

• Abraham Yogev, Tel Aviv University

• Oded Mcdossi, Tel Aviv University