“A state university in name only”: privatization and corporatization in contemporary Sri Lankan state universities

Purpose This article examines changes in Sri Lankan state universities (i.e. public universities) in the last 3 decades through two core concepts of management: privatization and corporatization. Design/methodology/approach This article is a qualitative study using discourse analysis, focusing on practices of privatization and corporatization. I examine documentation produced by 16 state universities from 2016 to 2020 and a reflexive journal written by myself over the past 10 years. Findings The article describes the similarities in the characteristics of these two phenomena and distinguishes conceptual differences and their consequences in the Sri Lankan academic context. Sri Lankan universities show characteristics of both privatization and corporatization, which appear as practices (as described in activities) and discourses (e.g. competitiveness, unemployability). These include changes to academic work norms and corporate-like governing practices. Research limitations/implications This is an initial exploration using mostly documentary sources. Local specificities of global phenomena such as corporatization and privatization need in-depth study and the education sector is a rich setting for further research. Practical implications This has direct implications for how universities are managed in future. Social implications This article analyses the changes that come about when a public good, such as education, is privatized and corporatized insidiously. Originality/value This article contributes to the field of education and management by considering how the two phenomena, corporatization and privatization, manifest in Sri Lankan state universities, illustrating through this the local manifestations of global phenomena affecting higher education.