We explore how two community-based reform models align with the World Bank's "World Development Report 2004" accountability framework. Using a qualitative case study of rural Guatemalan primary schools, we examine local governance through interviews with a range of stakeholders. While both reforms appear appropriate according to the…

This paper examines the development of higher education in Iran during a 26-year period under the Islamic government. This can be divided into three different phases: revolutionary, formative and development. It explores the expansion of universities, enhancing research, widening access, use of a wide range of ICT, decentralisation and gender…

This paper begins by discussing the relationship between democracy and development in Africa and the Gambia in particular. It then examines the potential role of the school inspectorate in the Gambia in helping to put education for democracy on a sustainable footing. The inspectorate not only evaluate and advise teachers but also provide ongoing…

Based on a survey of rural school districts in Western China, this essay explores the effects of fiscal centralisation on the relationship between local governance and school district management, most particularly on how managerial power is distributed in the rural education sector. The essay also examines some of the possible effects that changes…

This article reports on the experiences of the Kimberley Thusanang Project (KTP). It proposes that the project's use of a database system as a management tool represents a significant development in the design of effective education projects in South Africa. The article describes how this system assists project management in overcoming two key…