The globalization of the political economy at the end of the 20th century is destabilizing traditional patterns of university professional work, placing faculty squarely in the marketplace. This work examines the state of academic careers and institutions in the US, UK, Canada and Australia.

The globalization of the political economy at the end of the 20th century is destabilizing the traditional patterns of university professional work. One of the major changes that has taken place as a result of globalization is that faculty, who were previously situated between capital and labour, are now positioned squarely in the marketplace. To grasp the extent of the changes taking place and to understand the forces of change, this work examines the current state of academic careers and institutions, with a particular focus on public research universities in the USA, Canada, the UK and Australia. In the wide-ranging analysis, the authors examine every aspect of academic work they believe unexplored: undergraduate and graduate education; teaching and research; student aid policies; and federal research policies.