Understanding Education and Economics: Key Debates and Critical Perspectives

Drawing on the expertise of educationalists around the world, the book articulates key debates and theoretical perspectives which can give both students and staff across several courses within the study of education a framework for discussing and analysing how economics defines and shapes the nature and purposes of education. The chapters offer discussions and reflections on key issues, including:

• the historical developments that led to the creation of a formal education system in England and Wales;
• the ways in which neoliberalism underpins education, including the coercion of education to serve economic needs;
• the economics of the university as an institution.

Addressing philosophical, sociological, historical, psychological and social issues in education and encouraging readers to pose questions about the nature of education, this book is a valuable resource for students and staff alike and will allow them to broaden perspectives on what education could be for, and what it should be for.