This collection examines the transformation of the modern Western state in an age of accelerated globalization. Arguing that the state experienced a 'golden age' in the 1960s and 1970s, the contributors explore how and why this configuration of the state is under pressure in the 21st century. State functions are increasingly privatized or internationalized indicating a shift to a 'post-national' state and the book traces these tranformations through fields as diverse as taxation, transnational business law, internet governance and education policy.

Education policy-making has become a 'hot topic' in many industrialized countries today. Through initiatives by international organizations, such as the OECD's PISA study or the consequences of the GATS negotiations for the marketization in education, this policy field has moved up the political agenda. Few studies, however, have actually tackled these changes in a comprehensive way. This volume provides the most detailed overview of current phenomena in education policy-making and fills a major gap in the academic literature.

This collection examines the transformation of the modern Western state in an age of accelerated globalization. Arguing that the state experienced a 'golden age' in the 1960s and 1970s, the contributors explore how and why this configuration of the state is under pressure in the 21st century.