Drawing on the notions of neoliberal governmentality, regime of subjectification, as well as on the ordoliberal conception of social policy, self and class, I analyse how neoliberalism is entrenched in the formation of the affirmative action policy in higher education in Chile. Based on a fieldwork focused on the two main affirmative action…

Building upon critical education policy studies of crisis, disaster, and reform, this essay develops a theory of "recovery" that further elaborates the nature and operation of "crisis politics" in neoliberal education reform. Recovery is an integral process in capital accumulation, exploiting material, and subjective…

This paper proposes a new way of conceptualising education policy and also begins to develop a new method of policy analysis. In both instances, it draws on the theoretical and conceptual tools of Foucault, and in particular his concept "dispositif." It posits an historical and ontological formation -- a policy dispositif -- with…

Knowledge transfer (KT), or third stream activities of universities, has attracted attention from funding and regulatory bodies in recent years. While approaches differ from country to country, moves to improve measurement and monitoring of such activities with a view to encourage or better direct it have occurred in several settings. This article…

This article ethnographically examines the ways in which No Child Left Behind (NCLB) links local practices to the centralized processing of data through its narrowing of procedures and measurements aimed at accountability. Framed by actor-network theory, it draws upon data consistently collected between June 2005 and October 2008, and then…

Parent involvement policies have been central in the Dutch push towards educational governance. How the implementation of these policies plays out on the ground is context-dependent. The ethnic and class cleavages impacting the Dutch educational system should be taken into account. On the basis of 50 in-depth interviews with teachers, social…

There is a growing literature discussing the experiences and identities of academics working within the "new times" of contemporary academia. Critiques have been levied at the impact of neoliberalism on the nature, organisation and purpose of higher education (HE), highlighting the negative consequences for "traditional" academic identities and…

Explores the financial and administrative autonomy granted to selected colleges in Punjab, Pakistan. Analyzes the rationale and organizational structure of the privatization scheme. Describes a pilot study of two autonomous colleges, focusing on participants' reactions to implementation problems. Autonomy is not working as intended, and negative…

Using the system in the UK as a case study, this paper begins by examining the relationship between the rise of the "new managerialism" in the public services and the ideological framework that was provided for this by the convergence of key ideas emerging from the new right and new left. It looks then at the growth of the new…

Criticizes the Scottish Education Department for its 1987 consultation paper "Curriculum and Assessment in Scotland: A Policy for the 90s" seeking to revive the managerial style of entrepreneurial capitalism, namely Taylorism. The new policy is under attack for countermanding teachers' newly acquired decision-making powers. Includes 34…