The Privatization of Education [electronic resource] : a Political Economy of Global Education Reform / Antony Verger, Clara Fontdevila, Adrian Zancajo.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

1.The Globalization of Education Privatization: An Introduction -- Inquiring into Education Privatization Processes -- The Scope and Meaning of Educational Privatization -- The Systematic Literature Review Approach -- Book Structure -- 2.The Political Economy of Global Education Reform -- Global-Local Divide -- Material-Ideational Divide -- The Scope and Dynamics of Policy Change -- Conclusion -- pt. II PATHS TOWARD PRIVATIZATION -- 3.Education Privatization as a State Reform: The Ideological Road to Privatization in Chile and the United Kingdom -- The Neoliberal Influence in Education -- An Education Privatization Laboratory: The Case of Chile -- From Thatcherism to New Labour: The Case of the United Kingdom -- Conclusion -- 4.Education Privatization in Social Democratic Welfare States: The Nordic Path Toward Privatization -- The Spread of Global Neoliberal Ideas Note continued: Political Institutions and Party Politics in the Nordic Region -- New Social Democracy and the Modernization of the Welfare State -- Conclusion -- 5.Scaling Up Privatization: School Choice Reforms in the United States -- School Choice Reform Breeding Grounds: Discursive, Institutional, and Legal Contingencies -- Policy Outcomes: The (Uneven) Advancement of Charter Schools and Voucher Programs -- Conclusion -- 6.Privatization by Default in Low-Income Countries: The Emergence and Expansion of Low-Fee Private Schools -- A Growing Demand for LFPSs -- The Global Promotion of LFPSs -- Conclusion -- 7.Historical Public-Private Partnerships in Education: The Cases of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Spain -- The Netherlands: Pillarization and Religious Segregation -- Belgium: Ups and Downs in a Private School Financing Agreement -- Spain: The Consolidation of the Private Sector in the Transition to Democracy -- Conclusion Note continued: 8.Along the Path of Emergency: Privatization by Way of Catastrophe -- Education Privatization in Catastrophe Settings: Identifying Constant Features -- Natural Disasters as an Opportunity to Privatize Education -- Education Reform in Postconflict Contexts -- Conclusion -- pt. III ACTORS FOR AND AGAINST PRIVATIZATION -- 9.The Emerging Role of Nonstate Actors in the Promotion of Educational Privatization -- Think Tanks: Producing Pro-Privatization Ideas -- The Media: Means or Agents in Education Privatization? -- Policy Entrepreneurs -- Private Corporations and New Forms of Philanthropy -- Advocating Privatization: Frequent Strategies of Influence -- Conclusion -- 10.Resisting Privatization: The Strategies and Influence of Teachers' Unions in Educational Reform -- Teachers' Unions Participation in Policy Processes: Different Models of Engagement -- Unions' Strategies and Repertoires of Action Note continued: Conditions of Influence: Opportunities, Risks, and Threats for Unions -- Conclusion -- 11.Conclusions: A Cultural Political Economy of Education Privatization -- The Multiple Trajectories of Education Privatization -- The Political, Economic, and Cultural Forces Behind Education Privatization -- Final Remarks: Political Implications, Future Directions.

Education privatization is a global phenomenon that crystallizes in countries with very different cultural, political, and economic backgrounds. In this book, the authors examine how privatization policies are being adopted and why so many countries are engaging in this type of education reform.