In this groundbreaking critique of neoliberalism in schooling and education, an international cast of education policy analysts, educational activists and scholars deftly analyze the ideologies underlying the global, national and local neoliberalisation of schooling and education. The thrilling scholarship that makes up Global Neoliberalism and Education and its Consequences exposes the machinations, agenda and impacts of the privatising and 'merchandisation' of education by the World Bank, the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), biased think tanks, global and national corporations and capital, and the full political spectrum of Neoliberal governments. Including such topics as the increasing polarization of racialized and gendered social classes as a consequence of neoliberal policies, the role and shape of markets and education in the era of globalised Capitalism, the effects of the profit motive in higher education, the impact of the Heritage Foundation in the USA, and even a critical evaluation of education in Cuba--readers are sure to find startling insight and provocative arguments throughout Global Neoliberalism and Education and its Consequences.

Written by an impressive international array of education policy analysts, educational activists and scholars, Global Neoliberalism and Education and its Consequences lays bare the motivations, organizations, institutions and ideologies underlying the global, national and local neoliberalisation of schooling and education.

Globalization and the Neoliberal Schoolhouse unpacks the complex interdependencies between downsizing and decay in contemporary systems of public education on the one hand, and the ideological and institutional drivers of neoliberal globalization on the other.

This book investigates neoliberalism in education and explains how it is a complex phenomenon which takes on local characteristics in diverse geopolitical, economic and cultural settings, while retaining a core commitment in all its manifestations to market fundamentalism. Neoliberalism - that set of beliefs and practices which has become the economic orthodoxy of global preference since the 1980s - appears remarkably resilient despite the US financial crisis of 2008 and the subsequent implementation of austerity in the massively indebted nations of the European Union. This book addresses the phenomenon of neoliberalism in education and focuses on school and higher education settings in Ireland, the UK, Singapore and Hong Kong. Specifically, it addresses the role of language and semiosis in the reconfiguration of global educational practices along increasingly marketised lines. At the same time, the nature of the counter-hegemonic discourses also in circulation in these sectors is also considered. Collectively, the chapters in the book seek to shed light on the possibilities for resistance and the prospect of change from a variety of theoretical and (inter)cultural perspective. The chapters in this book were originally published in a special issue of the journal, Language and Intercultural Communication.

Neoliberalism and Market Forces in Education provides a wide perspective on the dramatic transformation of education policy in Sweden that has taken place during the last 30 years, with a specific focus on marketization. The marketization of education in Sweden is set in the wider international context of changes in education systems. With contributions from researchers across a wide range of scientific disciplines, the book provides examples of the consequences of market orientation in education in terms of increase in inequality as well as in terms of what the market orientation means for principals, teachers and students. It considers how Sweden has developed one of the most marketized education systems in the world and the possible consequences of such processes, as identified by research. Neoliberalism and Market Forces in Education will be of great interest to educational practitioners, politicians, scholars in the field, and postgraduate and research students in education.

`Education policy is now a global matter and all the more complex for that. Mark Olssen, John Codd and Ann-Marie O′Neill do us an invaluable service in producing a carefully theorised guide to current issues and key concerns - this is an important, erudite and very practical book′ - Stephen J Ball, Education Policy Research Unit, University of London `Given the global reach of neoliberal policies, we need cogent books that enable us to better understand the major effects such tendencies have. Education Policy is such a book. It is insightful and well written--and should be read by all of us who care deeply about what is happening in education in international contexts′ - Michael W Apple, Author of ′Educating the "Right" Way and John Bascom Professor of Education University of Wisconsin, Madison `I really am taken with the book, the range and depth of analysis are truly impressive. This book is a magnum opus and everyone in the area should read it′- Hugh Lauder, University of Bath `In their insightful and comprehensive book on education policy Mark Olssen, John Codd and Anne-Marie O′Neill wrestle with the big questions of citizenship and democracy in an age of globalization. They argue that ducation policy in the 21st century is the key to security, sustainability and survival. The book, anchored in the poststructuralist perspective of Michel Foucault, traverses the whole territory of education policy not only methods and approaches of policy analysis and the dominant political perspectives that influence policy-classical liberalism, social democracy and neo-liberalism--but also those policy areas that require the closest scrutiny: markets, trust, professionalism, choice, diversity, and finally, community, citizenship and democracy. This is the new policy bible for educationalists - it is at once systematic, provocative and instructive′ - Michael A Peters, Research Professor, University of Glasgow ′It is rare indeed for books with such ambitious scope as this one to appear within educational scholarship... This is an important book for any graduate student who is undertaking work on any aspect of education policy′ - Education Review This book provides an international perspective on education policy, and of the role and function of education in the global economy. The authors present a Foucauldian perspective on the politics of liberal education, within a theoretical framework necessary for the critical analysis of education policy. The authors set out the analyses necessary for understanding the restructuring in education and social policy that has occurred in many countries affected by the resurgence of neo-liberal political theory. They examine education policy in relation to globalization, citizenship and democracy. The authors argue that globalization is an extension of neoliberalism and is destructive of the nation state, community and democracy. They show the importance of education in building strong democratic nation states and global communities based on cultural identity and inter-cultural awareness. This book is essential reading for students of education policy studies and social policy analysis.

This book has two primary goals: a critique of educational reforms that result from the rise of neoliberalism and to provide alternatives to neoliberal conceptions of education problems and solutions. A key issue addressed by contributors is how forms of critical consciousness can be engendered thought society via schools, that is, paying attention to the practical aspects of pedagogy for social transformation and organizing to achieve a most just society.