Timothy Rudd

The Limits of Neoliberal Education

There has been widespread debate about the effects and impacts of globalisation and the predominant waves of reform that have arisen as a result. Many educational theorists have argued that there is strong empirical evidence indicating that educational reform initiatives resemble similar ‘world movements’ (see for example, Meyer et al., 1997; Meyer, 2000), which have their origins in international financial institutions and serve to change the global rhetoric and discourse about education.

Negotiating Neoliberal Education

The significant and rapid changes in policies that have occurred since the financial crisis in 2007/8 have, perhaps irrevocably, altered the educational landscape in the UK, and elsewhere. In what we term the reconstituted neo-liberal period, we have seen clear attempts to restore and enhance prior marketisation and privatisation strategies into an intelligible whole.

Studying Historical Periodisation

This paper outlines the theoretical bases and key components underpinning an emerging concept of ‘refraction’, being developed as part of the RIAIPE3 study programme – an inter-university programme exploring equity and social cohesion policies in higher education.