Universities used to be rather cosy places until they got shaken up by a dose of market incentives, stressing money and the number of publications, pitting everybody against everybody in a libertarian survival of the fittest:
So it's not only at the bottom where people feel the pressures of the free market..
Quote:One academic said: “I remember a time of camaraderie and collegiality. Now, the external pressures isolate and spotlight individuals.” Another said: “One of the key skills in current times is working against isolation. If you can’t, then it can be a very lonely job.” Dennis Guiney, educational psychologist and co-author of the research, explains: “Lack of collegiality was a big concern for the academics we spoke to. Rather than focusing solely on money, they felt university managers should be building this. Academics need to feel valued. Praise is important.”‘It’s cut-throat’: half of UK academics stressed and 40% thinking of leaving | Education | The Guardian
His research found that academics felt under much more pressure to deliver within the competitive new market in higher education, and this meant a sense of loss of control over their job. The report quotes one academic saying: “You have to do all you can to keep student numbers high. Otherwise, next year one of your colleagues might lose their job.”
So it's not only at the bottom where people feel the pressures of the free market..