The education of nations

How the Political Organization of the Poor, Not Democracy, Led Governments to Invest in Mass Education

Bibliographic Data

ID6522425
AuthorsStephen Kosack (0000-0001-5410-8365, corresponding author)
Year2012
Pages364
Publication date2012-01-01
Open AccessNo
TypeBOOK
VenueThe education of nations (SOURCE_BOOK)
PublisherOxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199841653.001.0001
OpenAlexW4238831769
ISBN9780199841653
Open LibraryOL25067002M
LanguageEN
Citations received16

Quality mass education is one of sustainable development’s most important ingredients, particularly in the information age. This book provides a framework for understanding and predicting when a government will invest in it. It shows that the key factors are not those that social scientists or the public typically rely on to understand government policymaking decisions: a government cannot be expected to invest in mass education when the economy needs it, when the culture values it, nor, most surprising for political scientists, when its leaders are elected democratically. Instead, the book shows that the government will invest in mass education in two specific conditions. The first is an economy where skilled labor is scarce, skilled wages are flexible, and employers cannot hire foreign skilled workers. The second is a government engaging in “political entrepreneurship of the poor” by developing organizational structures that allow poor citizens to act collectively and credibly support the government. These two conditions determine whether it is in the government’s self-interest to invest in mass education. The book examines a half century of educational development in Taiwan, Ghana, and Brazil—three countries with little in common. The two conditions reliably forecast whether governments in each country provided quality mass education or concentrated on higher education restricted to elites. The framework also explains many of the specific features of the education systems each government produces: for example, whether teachers are paid well and the prevalence of fees, financial aid, and private sector involvement in education.

Brazil · Business · Cross-cultural studies · Developing country · Economic growth · Economics · Education and state · Education policy · elite higher education · financial aid · Ghana · Government (linguistics) · Higher education · Information Age · Mass education · Political science · Politics · Poor · Private sector · private sector involvement in education · Quality (philosophy) · school fees · skilled wages · Sustainable development · Taiwan · teacher salaries · Economic Growth and Development · Education · Global Education Systems and Policies · Global Educational Policies and Reforms · Politics and Conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Middle East · Politics, Economics, and Education Policy · Developing countries · Economic aspects