economisation

Economisation, or economisation, is the process by which economic reasoning, market principles, and financial considerations come to govern or shape institutions, policies, and everyday practices that were not primarily driven by economic goals. In social science discourse, it refers to the expansion of monetized thinking and cost-benefit rationality into areas such as health care, education, culture, and public administration, where decisions increasingly reference efficiency, value-for-money, and measurable outcomes.

The term is widely used in sociology, political science, and management studies to analyze the effects of reforms that introduce market logics into public life. It can describe both deliberate policy shifts toward market mechanisms and the broader cultural shift toward treating social services as commodities or productivity problems to be solved through efficiency metrics.

Key mechanisms of economisation include budgeting and performance metrics, outsourcing and privatization, user fees, competition and contracting, and formal evaluation systems that privilege quantitative indicators. Spheres affected range from hospital management and school funding to welfare services and urban planning, where resource constraints motivate the adoption of financial controls and performance targets.

Opinions on economisation are mixed. Proponents argue that it improves resource allocation, transparency, and accountability. Critics contend that it instrumentalizes value, narrows the scope of public goods, and emphasizes quantifiable outcomes at the expense of equity, quality, and democratic deliberation; concerns about audit culture and managerialism are common.

Related concepts include neoliberalism, marketization, privatization, audit culture, and performance management.