scholarly journals The Neoliberal University in Ireland: Institutional Bullying by Another Name?

Societies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 52
Author(s):  
Margaret Hodgins ◽  
Patricia Mannix McNamara
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Public Management ◽  
New Public Management ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Decent Work ◽  
New Public ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Health And Well Being

New managerialism and the pervasive neoliberalisation of universities is by now a well-established phenomenon. Commentaries explore the political and economic drivers and effects of neoliberal ideology, and critique the impact on higher education and academic work. The impact on the health and well-being of academic staff has had less attention, and it is to that we turn in this paper. Much academic interest in neoliberalism stems from the UK, Australia and the United States. We draw particularly on studies of public Irish universities, where neoliberalism, now well entrenched, but something of a late-comer to the new public management party, is making its presence felt. This conceptual paper explores the concept of neoliberalism in higher education, arguing that the policies and practices of new public management as exercised in universities are a form of bullying; what we term institutional bullying. The authors are researchers of workplace culture, workplace bullying and incivility. Irish universities are increasingly challenged in delivering the International Labour Organisation (ILO) principles of decent work, i.e., dignity, equity, fair income and safe working conditions. They have become exposed in terms of gender imbalance in senior positions, precariat workforce, excessive workload and diminishing levels of control. Irish universities are suffering in terms of both the health and well-being of staff and organisational vibrancy. The authors conclude by cautioning against potential neoliberal intensification as universities grapple with the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper reviews neoliberalism in higher education and concludes with insight as to how the current pandemic could act as a necessary catalyst to stem the tide and ‘call out’ bullying at the institutional level.

The Anglo-American Tradition

2021 ◽  
pp. 116-138
Author(s):  
B. Guy Peters
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Public Management ◽  
New Public Management ◽  
The United States ◽  
Public Administrators ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
New Public ◽  
American Tradition ◽  
Anglo American ◽  
Definition Of

The Anglo-American tradition is perhaps the most difficult to characterize. Although there are common roots, there has been a divergence between the United Kingdom and other Westminster systems and the United States. There are common roots among these cases, including a contractarian conception of the state, an emphasis on the separation of politics and administration, an emphasis on management rather than law in the role definition of public administrators, and less commitment to uniformity. But these common values are interpreted and implemented differently in the different countries. For example, the United States has a more developed system of administrative law than do most of the Westminster systems. All these administrative systems, however, have been more receptive to the ideas of New Public Management (NPM) than have other governments, although the United States and Canada had implemented many of those ideas long before NPM was developed.

The Role of the Supervisor in Creating and Maintaining an Emotionally Healthy Workplace

2022 ◽  
pp. 1715-1730
Author(s):  
Amy Tureen
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Emotional Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Organizational Cultures ◽  
Educational Model ◽  
Positional Power ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Health And Well Being

Supervisors, be they employed in higher education or in other industries, operate in capacities that allow them to shape organizational cultures within their departments, divisions, colleges, or broader units. Within the higher educational model, this means that supervisors are uniquely placed to counteract negative elements within the culture of academia, which historically has tended to prioritize individual competitive output, with alternative models that may offer improvements to the emotional health and well-being of higher education employees. This chapter seeks to describe the impact of stress on the health of workers, the employment stressors that are unique to higher education, and the processes by which supervisors in higher education can use their positional power to counteract said stressors and improve academic organizational cultures. The chapter includes practical suggestions for supervisors to enhance wellness and decrease emotional harm in scenarios common to the higher education workplace as identified via social media crowdsourcing.

Coping with Loneliness

2019 ◽  
pp. 216-227 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dawn Joosten-Hagye ◽  
Anne Katz
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Transnational Feminism ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Major Predictor ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Global Growth

This chapter examines loneliness and how it affects health and well-being. It discusses how loneliness may lead to ill health but also how ill health may lead to feelings of loneliness. It reviews the evidence suggesting that loneliness is not only linked to overall morbidity and mortality in older adults but also a major predictor of psychological distress. With the global growth of the aging population, considerable research attention focuses on these issues in Europe, the United States, and Australia. The proportion of Australians aged 65 years or older is growing, with prevalence rates of loneliness among older adults as high as 30%. The impact of this is discussed in this chapter, as are recent developments, current conditions, historical trends, transnational feminism and advocacy, and how loneliness impacts the health and well-being of older women in Australia.

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