This book investigates the potential impact of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) on the autonomy and mission of American higher education institutions. Roberta Malee Bassett, an expert in international education policy, examines the intersection of global trade agreements and domestic academic governance. She utilizes a policy analysis framework to evaluate how the commodification of education under international trade law might alter institutional priorities, faculty roles, and student access. The text argues that the integration of higher education into global trade frameworks necessitates a critical re-evaluation of national sovereignty in educational policy.

Experts in the field of higher education policy recognize this work as a significant contribution to the discourse on the commercialization of academic institutions. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which provides a rigorous examination of the intersection between international trade law and domestic educational policy.