Abstract

This work explores managerialism's influence on social sciences in Latin American universities. It looks at how management structures and practices impact academic work in this area of knowledge. It is proposed that managerialism, emphasizing efficiency and effectiveness, restricts the development of theoretical and methodological diversity in the discipline, endorsing easily measurable approaches that are more aligned with academic productivity indicators. Through Niklas Luhmann’s theory, this work offers an understanding of universities as decision systems. It analyzes how these institutions manage complexity through regulatory programs that organize their decisions around specific purposes determined by principles such as quantification and bureaucratization. Last, it is suggested that current models in the context of social sciences of Latin American universities, where critical thinking, and commitment to social problems should play a central role in academic work, need to be reviewed.