Evaluation of Privatization Policies in Public Higher Education: A Case Study of Iranian Higher Education

This article, focusing on establishing and expanding autonomous university campuses as a policy tool, evaluates the privatization policies of public higher education in Iran. This study, using a qualitative, process-based research method, analyzes the design and implementation of this policy based on the policy cycle model and policy feedback theory. The findings reveal that the policy of establishing autonomous campuses has not been as successful as expected in achieving its primary objectives, including the internationalization of higher education, expanding access, and increasing student enrollment to meet social and scientific needs. This research examines the resource, interpretive, and institutional impacts of this policy and its socio-political, financial, and executive feedback mechanisms. The resource, interpretive, and institutional impacts include promoting market logic in public universities, encouraging universities to find new financial resources, and creating contradictions in the policy-making and implementation of higher education privatization. The socio-political feedback mechanism focuses on the deviation of campuses from their primary mission, the financial feedback mechanism highlights universities' need for diverse financial resources, and the administrative feedback mechanism points to the lack of adequate oversight of these campuses. The article concludes that while the privatization of public higher education through autonomous campuses has had some positive effects, such as diversifying university financial resources, it has also led to concerns about equity and quality of education. This research suggests that future privatization policies in higher education should be carefully designed and implemented, with adequate oversight, to balance financial sustainability and the maintenance of educational standards. Furthermore, in developing privatization policies in public higher education, all social classes should be guaranteed equal access to higher education. Based on the findings, three scenarios are proposed for the future of autonomous campuses: maintaining the status quo, merging with parent universities, or shifting towards specific missions.