Academic Capitalism and Precarity in the Neoliberal University

Job Insecurity and Stress in Two Liberal Market Economies

Dados Bibliográficos

ID21334530
AutoresSean O’Brady (0000-0002-4803-407X, DeGroote School of Business McMaster University Hamilton Ontario Canada, autor correspondente), Greg J Bamber (0000-0001-6646-3065, International Consortium for Research in Employment & Work, Department of Management, Monash Business School Monash University Melbourne Victoria Australia), Brian Cooper (0000-0003-4242-3581, International Consortium for Research in Employment & Work, Department of Management, Monash Business School Monash University Melbourne Victoria Australia)
Ano2025
Volume56
Fascículo4
Páginas291-300
Data de publicação2025-07-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoIndustrial Relations Journal (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0019-8692 • E-ISSN: 1468-2338
EditoraWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/irj.12466
OpenAlexW4408938057
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas3
Referências citadas39

This study analyses the relationship between academic capitalism and employment precarity. Drawing on two cross‐national sources of survey data, we compare academics' experiences with job insecurity and related stress in Australian and Canadian universities during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Although these two countries are similar liberal market economies, Australian higher education has embraced academic capitalism to a greater extent than in Canada. Against this backdrop, our study focuses on the moderating role of ‘soft income’ from international tuition fees and the use of contingent labour in explaining cross‐country differences. We find that international tuition played a role in heightening job insecurity and associated stress, particularly in the Australian universities due to their greater reliance on this source of income. However, these outcomes converged for ‘permanent’ and ‘casual’ academics in Australia but diverged in Canada. We contend that the cross‐national differentiation is likely due to the weaker job protections afforded to permanent academics in Australia

Capitalism · Economics · Job insecurity · Job market · Labour economics · Market economy · Neoliberalism (international relations) · Political economy · Political science · Precarious work · Precarity · Work (physics) · Employment and Welfare Studies · Higher Education Governance and Development · Management and Organizational Studies