The Conservative Turn in Higher Education in the US and UK. Book Review: Goodwin M. (2025) Bad Education. Why Our Universities Are Broken and How We Can Fix Them. London: Transworld Publishers

Abstract

The paper reviews the book by Matt Goodwin "Bad Education. Why Our Universities Are Broken and How We Can Fix Them" published in the UK in 2025. This book has sparked controversy in Western universities and was perceived controversially. Nevertheless, it allows the reader to understand the causes of the crisis and even schism at leading universities of Great Britain and the USA, as well as the conservative turn in higher education. The latter manifested as a reaction to the radical leftist activism that has emerged in Western universities in recent decades, the numerous examples of which Matt Goodwin describes. The book presents extensive statistical data indicating the declining prestige of university education in Anglo-Saxon countries and introduces the reader to the so-called “new university ideology” supported at all levels (by academics and faculty, students, and administrators). The author offers possible solutions to the current situation and proposes his Manifesto for changing universities.