Hugh Lauder

Education : culture, economy, and society

Education aims to establish the social study of education at the centre of political and sociological debate about post industrial societies. It looks at major changes which have taken place in the late 20th century and at educational policy.

School composition and peer effects

Abstract Despite over 30 years of research into the effects of school composition or “mix,” there is remarkably little consensus over the nature and size of school compositional and peer effects. Developing an analytical review of international research in this area, this chapter begins by discussing conceptual and methodological problems related to theorising school compositional effects. A model is developed through which the adequacy of existing studies for capturing compositional effects can be judged. This model helps to explain why existing studies have failed to reach consensus since the modelling techniques vary and none approach the adequacy criteria articulated in the model. Qualitative research can go a long way towards illuminating the subtle processes that are likely to underlie school compositional effects. The inherent difficulties in “measuring” elements of compositional effects have left debate around the importance of school compositional effects open to political and ideological considerations, since the outcomes of key policy decisions such as school choice, effectiveness, and accountability depend on the findings.

Globalisation, knowledge and the myth of the magnet economy

This article examines the dominant view of the changing relationship between education, jobs and rewards in the global knowledge economy. This asserts that the developed economies can resolve issues of individual aspirations, economic efficiency and social justice through the creation of a high‐skills, high‐wage ‘magnet’ economy. Here the authors examine four of the key dimensions of this account and argue that while there has been a fundamental change in the relationship between education, economy and society, their conclusions are far removed from the assumptions that currently inform public and policy debates.

Education, globalisation and the future of the knowledge economy

The dominant view today is of a global knowledge-based economy, driven by the application of new technologies, accelerating the shift to high-skilled, high-waged European economies. This view is reflected in the expansion of higher education and the key role of higher education in national and European economic policy. The Lisbon agenda seeks to make the European Union ‘the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world, capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion’ (European Commission, 2003, p. 2) Not only is education believed to hold the key to international competitiveness but to the foundations of social justice and social cohesion. This article will outline the underlying assumptions of this mantra, which in many respects has changed little since the 1960s when human capital theory gained increasing prominence in education and economic policy (Halsey, 1961). It will then examine the prospects for the creation of high-skills economies throughout Europe in light of new realities of the global economy. This analysis is based on interviews with senior managers and executives in leading transnational companies and government policy makers in seven countries including China and India. In conclusion, we will outline a series of issues as a contribution toward a new agenda for education and the knowledge economy within the European Research Area.

Sociology of education: a critical history and prospects for the future

This paper examines the sociology of education from the perspective of its recent history and attempts to assess the current state of the field. The authors argue that cognate disciplines such as economics and social policy have taken over some of the key questions that were once the preserve of sociology of education. This raises the question of what is lost if the sociology of education is no longer making a significant contribution, in key areas, to the major educational, social and economic issues of the day.

Competitiveness and the Problem of Low Skill Equilibria: a comparative analysis

Abstract One of the fundamental impediments to the realisation of a high skills economy is a low skill equilibrium created by social and economic factors which lock a significant proportion of the work force into low skill work. A comparative study is undertaken of South Korea, Singapore and the UK to examine the historical and contemporary factors which generate low skill equilibria in each of these nations. A judegment is made as to how likely these nations are to break out of their low skill equilibria, noting that the policies used differ in each country according to the nationally espoused values and purposes underlying economic development.

Human capital theory, the power of transnational companies and a political response in relation to education and economic development

Altinok, N. 2012. A New International Database on the Distribution of School Achievement. Background paper prepared for the 2012 EFA Global Monitoring Report. Paris: UNESCO. Cheng, X., and C. Omoeva. 2014. EPDC National Learning Assessments Mapping Project: Key Findings. Washington, DC: Education and Policy Development Center. Colclough, C. 2005. “Rights, Goals and Targets: How Do Those for Education Add up?” Journal of International Development 17 (1): 101–111. EFA Steering Committee Technical Advisory Group. 2014. Towards Indicators for a Post-2015 Education Framework. Montreal: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Filmer, D., A. Hasan, and L. Pritchett. 2006. A Millennium Learning Goal: Measuring Real Progress in Education. CGD Working Paper 97. Washington, DC: Center for Global Development. Hunt, F. 2015. “Review of National Education Policies: Teacher Quality and Learning Outcomes.” Prospects (in press). Köseleci Blanchy, N. 2014. “Improving, Not Over-Hauling Learning Assessments Post-2015.” World Education Blog, November 19. https://efareport.wordpress.com/ 2014/11/19/improving-not-over-hauling-learning-assessments-post-2015/ Rose, P. 2014. “Three Lessons for Educational Quality in Post-2015 Goals and Targets: Clarity, Measurability and Equity.” International Journal of Educational Development (in press). Rose, P. 2015. “Lessons from 25 Years of Education for All.” In Routledge Handbook of International Education and Development, edited by S. McGrath and Q. Gu. Oxford: Routledge. UNESCO. 2014. Education for All Global Monitoring Report. Teaching and Learning: Achieving Quality for All. Paris: UNESCO. UNESCO Institute for Statistics and the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). 2014. Learning Metrics Partnership. Paris: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Skill webs and international human resource management: lessons from a study of the global skill strategies of transnational companies

This paper examines the development of global skill webs in transnational companies (TNCs). Based on research in seven countries, it argues that skill webs are becoming more strategic in character as companies seek competitive advantage by relocating high-skilled work to low-cost locations. The paper explores the implications of these findings for both the ‘conventional’ approach to international human resource management and that influenced by the ‘varieties of capitalism’ School.

Education, economic globalisation and national qualifications frameworks

The aims of NQFs There are many aims that have been articulated with respect toNQFs. Among them are them are those concerned with transparency, which is to say, that it is assumed that once employers understand the competencies of employees, as defined by their education credentials, then the mismatch between what employers are looking for and what potential employees can offer is reduced. A further aim is that in an era of economic globalisation the certificates that frameworks issue should be transferable across nations because they should itemise the competencies that potential employees have demonstrated. These are laudable aims but even if these aims were achieved, something which is considered in the papers that follow, that in turn raises fundamental questions about the nature of knowledge and skills required in the global economy and whether NQFs have a role to play in the light of the new global realities: it also suggests a fundamental misreading of the key trends in the global economy.

‘Success’ and ‘Failure’ in the Education Marketplace: An Example from New Zealand

This paper details the impact of market policies in New Zealand on one low socio-economic school, raising questions about the underlyingassumptions of the programmes designed to ‘turn around’ so called ‘failing’ schools. The impact of macro policies on disadvantaged schoolsin the market place is documented, as is recent evidence on the impactof schools entering a spiral of decline on their examination outcomes.It is argued that school success and failure cannot be understood inisolation but needs to be placed in the wider context of stateeducational policy. Consequently, change strategies which ignore thewider policy settings risk failure.