This paper attempts a comparative analysis of classification and framing relationships as they are exemplified in the four papers presented in this Special Issue. In particular, it interrogates Bernstein's assertion that education is simply a relay for power relations external to it and examines approaches to educational leadership and…

A historical perspective on Australian culture that draws on the meaning of culture and its relationship to the culture of administration begins this paper. Explored is the tension of middle level administrators who are continually caught up in the traffic between policy directives and community needs. The writer posits that the culture of a…

This paper takes the point of view that the mechanisms of demolition are those of economic rationalism: globalization, marketization, deregulation, competition, and privatization. The growing concern of government with economies, markets, and money carries over to education and other institutions. Currently in Australia, devolution is interpreted…

This paper examines the role played by educational reform (as advocated by economic rationalism) in the economic destruction of Australian society. It is argued that two mechanisms for containing economic difficulties are the plundering of the nation state and the application of new technologies of production. Strategies of educational reform, as…

This paper offers a critique of the corporate-management culture manifested in Australian education systems and institutions. It is argued that in Australia, the drive toward a market culture is a form of administrative achievement that turns culture into commodities. One of the major features of the current educational reform context is a…

A "regional order," let alone a "world order," will be very difficult to achieve. In fact, global disorder has persisted throughout the last century. This paper describes concerns about the existing world order and delineates some of the apparent alternatives. Problems involved in revitalizing civil society in order to…

Managerialism is an ideology with two distinct claims: (1) efficient management can solve almost any problem; and (2) practices that are appropriate for the conduct of private-sector enterprises can also be applied to the public sector (Rees, 1995). This paper examines these claims in relation to education as a public service. Specifically, the…

Arguing that globalization has been conceived of largely in economic terms this article examines the possibility of a global curriculum in the light of Touraine's assertion that the major global problem is not economic but social: can we live together? I argue that a global curriculum conceived in social terms is possible and that it will involve:…