New Perspectives in the Political Economy of Education: Redistributive Battles

Abstract

Education spending is one of the largest budgetary items of governments in advanced capitalist economies and the quality of education services is of high concern to voters. The most innovative and promising approach in the political economy of education in recent years has been to analyse education systems and education reforms as the outcome of a battle over redistribution of these resources. Recipients of education win twice: They consume education, and they can expect higher income and upward social mobility in the future. Right-wing and left-wing governments pursue policies that benefit their respective constituencies. Explaining variation across time and space therefore entails disentangling the battle over educational resources between voters and understanding how parties’ policies flow from such conflicts. This panel will assess the explanatory power of treating education as a redistributive good and discuss new perspectives in the study of education. It invites researchers from (comparative) political economy and related disciplines. We welcome paper proposals dealing with questions such as: How and why do education systems and policies, in particular in secondary and tertiary education, differ across advanced economies? Which user groups and actors win in education politics? How do education policies relate to other public service reforms and institutions in the political economy? What are the links between inequality, austerity, and education reforms?

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