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The doctoral dissertation of Elizaveta Sakhnovskaia, M.Sc “Paradoxes of marketisation of higher education: Perspectives from higher education marketing in Finland” will be publicly examined at the Aalto University School of Business on Thursday, June 11, 2026.

The public defense will be held at the Aalto University, Undercraduate Center, Otakaari 1, Opettajaneuvoston istuntosali, lecture hall H304.
 

Opponent: Professor Kerttu Kettunen, University of Agder
Custos (Chairperson): Professor Henrikki Tikkanen, Aalto University

This dissertation investigates the marketisation of higher education (HE) at the meso- (industry-) level, examining the Finnish HE system as a holistic empirical case. The purpose of the study is to provide an integrated understanding of how marketisation reshapes practices, relationships, and dynamics within the HE system by examining the sector as a whole across different levels. This research addresses a significant gap in the field, where empirically grounded studies examining the marketisation of HE remain limited despite extensive conceptual debate.

The results obtained through three interrelated essays identify ideological tensions and inherent paradoxes emerging when market-driven logics intersect with a traditionally public and welfare-state-based system. The study demonstrates how ideological underpinnings constrain marketisation dynamics, how tuition fees act as a central instrument that simultaneously enables and constrains marketing and international student recruitment efforts, and how universities cooperate while simultaneously competing for resources, status, and academic positioning. The main finding of the research shows that marketisation unfolds as a contextually mediated and inherently paradoxical process that reshapes marketing practices, pricing mechanisms, and competitive dynamics.

The research contributes new knowledge by conceptualising marketisation as a structural and ideological transformation that reshapes institutional arrangements and professional identities within HE. It further highlights the hybrid character of HE as a field in which business-like logics increasingly coexist with historically embedded public values and principles. These findings provide insights for improving marketing practices, navigating competing strategic demands, and managing inter-institutional networks. Overall, the results suggest that marketisation unfolds through the interaction of competing forces, where market mechanisms do not simply replace public values but instead redefine and recontextualise them within changing HE environments.

Further information:
E-mail: elizaveta.sakhnovskaia@aalto.fi
puh. +358505705044

link toThesis: ”