Publisher's Synopsis
Throughout the industrialised world, education is being transformed from a public service into a tradeable good in the marketplace. As education plays a central role in moulding the attitudes and careers of young people, this change will have a profound impact. Markets in Education is the first authoritative account of a trend now shaping the societies of the future.
Marginson looks at the implications of this transformation for the whole education system: primary and secondary schooling, technical and further education, universities and academic research. He provides new insights into controversies such as public funding and private institutions, tertiary fees, the economics of education, education and equality, and standards versus difference.
The marketisation of education is situated in major developments of our time including the withdrawal from the welfare state, the erosion of labour markets and managerial reform. Marginson's discussion of 'positive goods' offers a new and startling explanation of social competition, inequality and educational privilege.
