
Education and Public Choice
A Critical Account of the Invisible Hand in Education
Nesta Devine(Author)
Praeger Publishers Inc
Published on 30. December 2004
Book
Hardback
218 pages
978-0-275-98029-0 (ISBN)
Description
The single most important educational theory in schools and universities today is not derived from Dewey, Piaget, R. S. Peters, or an other significant researcher or theorist in education. It is public choice theory, which is derived from neo-classical economics. This work describes public choice theory in its component parts and as a coherent and potent contemporary factor influencing education today. It is this theory that licenses talk of accountability; provider capture; outcomes; and delivery as the most significant aspects of education, and thereby sets aside the discourses of responsibility; professionalism; social justice; and learning.
Public choice theory is defined by its proponents as the application of economics to politics. It is based on the assumption that economics is the paradigmatic social science that can provide answers to all social questions. By reducing all political and social questions of a particular form of economics it reduces society to a market that is subject to the forces of supply and demand. Citizens become consumers rather than members of a civil society entitled to certain rights. This work describes public choice theory in its component parts and as a coherent and potent contemporary factor influencing education today.
Public choice theory is defined by its proponents as the application of economics to politics. It is based on the assumption that economics is the paradigmatic social science that can provide answers to all social questions. By reducing all political and social questions of a particular form of economics it reduces society to a market that is subject to the forces of supply and demand. Citizens become consumers rather than members of a civil society entitled to certain rights. This work describes public choice theory in its component parts and as a coherent and potent contemporary factor influencing education today.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Target group
College/higher education
Interest Age: From 7 to 17 years
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
511 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-275-98029-0 (9780275980290)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
NESTA DEVINE lectures in the School of Education of the University of Waikato in New Zealand. She specializes in secondary education educational policy and educational theory.
Content
ContentsAcknowledgments ixSeries Foreword by Henry A. Giroux xiPreface xvIntroduction: Overview xixI.Fundamentals 11Introducing the Theoretical Groundwork 32Basic Elements 153Supply-Side Economics 514The Calculation of Consent: To Whom Should Consent Be Given? 75II.Genealogies: The Relation of Public Choice Theory to Science 935A Medieval Genealogy of Public Choice Ideas 976Rupture: The Scottish School and the Genealogy of Added Value 1157Public Choice Theory, Economics, and Claims to Scientific Status 1338Catallactics: Hayek's Evolutionary Theory of Economics, Applied to Public Policy 1519Conclusion 165Bibliography 169Index 183