This book examines the policy outcomes of purportedly unavoidable tendencies towards educational isomorphism and harmonization by analyzing, at a regional level, the educational policies devised and carried out by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) over the past two decades. It chronicles the policy process (functional cooperation) and policy tools (lessons-drawing, externalization and policy transfer) of regionalization and highlights, from a cooperation and collaboration perspective, the importance of time, space, and geographic proximity and their roles in furthering convergence. The book's analyses conclude by showing that, based on the semantics of harmonization, educational isomorphism occurs in cyclical waves and that the fifteen member states of CARICOM only cooperate when it is in their best interest, irrespective of the policy outcome. Therefore, the isomorphic tendencies that exist at the regional level are not - or not primarily - the result of a world polity as hypothesized by neo-institutionalist theory, but rather that of collective choices to confront both challenges and opportunities of globalization and global competition.

Access to big data, the "new commodity" for the 21st century economies, and its uses and potential abuses, has both conceptual and methodological impacts for the field of comparative and international education. This book examines, from a comparative perspective, the impact of the movement from the so-called knowledge-based economy towards the Intelligent Economy, which is premised upon the application of knowledge. Knowledge, the central component of the knowledge-based economy, is becoming less important in an era that is projected to be dominated and defined by the integration of complex technologies under the banner of the fourth industrial revolution. In this new era that blends the physical with the cyber-physical, the rise of education intelligence means that clients including countries, organizations, and other stakeholders are equipped with cutting-edge data in the form of predicative analytics, and knowledge about global educational predictions of future outcomes and trends. In this sense, this timely volume links the advent of this new technological revolution to the world of governance and policy formulation in education in order to open a broader discussion about the systemic and human implications for education of the emerging intelligent economy. By providing a unique comparative perspective on the Educational Intelligent economy, this book will prove invaluable for researchers and scholars in the areas of comparative education, artificial intelligence and educational policy.

This volume focuses on the rise of educational regulation and educational governance in a post-2015 era. Across the globe, unfettered globalization is being curtailed and cooperation and collaboration at the regional level appears to be at an unprecedented high, yet there are still substantial disparities across national levels in education, social, political, and economic sectors. This volume investigates the nexus between national policy mandates, regional aspirations and international benchmarks and commitments. In doing so, it uses a critical educational policy studies approach to examine the various scales of the politics of education to explain how changes in the global and political economy influences national educational policies and practices. Thus, the politics of education within small (and micro) states is linked to various educational agenda settings and attitudes within the national and regional policy environment and the actors and institutions that shape these agendas. Chapters within this volume explain at what scale policy decisions are taken within the policy environment and who has the authoritative allocation of values.

The volume is concerned with educational developments in small and microstates, a topic that has only relatively recently started to attract the attention it deserves. It is guided by the questions (i) if and how small and microstates deal with policy challenges to their education systems that are particularly important for their future development and (ii) whether there is something like typical "small / microstate behavior." The volume seeks to contribute to a genuinely comparative approach to education in small and microstates. Moreover, widening conventional definitions of smallness, it aims to advance research in the field not only in a thematic but also in a theoretical perspective. Overall, the volume seeks to expand our understanding of small and microstates - and by implication of big states as well -, especially regarding what is general and what is particular about their behavior.

This book offers a practical and approachable overview of central theories in comparative and international education (CIE). The chapters focus in depth on specific theoretical perspectives and seek to elucidate the histories, assumptions, and recent developments of these theories. The chapters also situate the theories within CIE, include specific case studies of theoretical application, and outline suggestions for further reading. Written by leading scholars from around the world, this is must-have reference work for anyone teaching, researching, studying, or working in CIE. The handbook includes chapters on a diverse collection of theories, including but not limited to: Structural-functionalism, Colonialism/Imperialism, Marxism, Human Capital Theory, Dependency/World Systems Theory, Post-Colonialism, Post-Socialism, Post-Foundationalism, Neo-liberalism, Neo-Institutionalism, Neo-Marxism, Policy Borrowing and Lending, Peace Theories, Human Rights, Constructivism, Racism, Gender, Queer Theory, Social Network Theory, Capabilities Theory, and Cultural Political Economy.

Drawing on a post-foundational approach to Deleuze and Guattari's seminal work on assemblage theory, this book explores the scholarly field of comparative and international education (CIE). Written by a diverse collection of international scholars from Australia, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK and the USA, the chapters use the assemblage paradigm as an analytical tool to examine the continuously evolving field of CIE. The theoretical chapters unpack assemblage theory and its core components, whilst others draw on examples and international case studies to show how assemblage theory could be applied to future CIE research. The field of CIE is prone to constant (re)configurations and this book casts the shaping of the field in a fresh light, prompting new discussions on the field's variability and flexibility.

Educational Transitions in Post-Revolutionary Spaces explores the transformation of the education system in Tunisia following the Jasmine Revolution, the first of a wave of revolutions known as the Arab Spring. The authors provide a detailed account of how Tunisia's robust education system shaped and sparked the conflict as educated youth became disgruntled with their economic conditions. Exploring themes such as radicalization, gender, activism and social media, the chapters map out the steps occurring during transitions from authoritarian rule to democracy. Educational Transitions in Post-Revolutionary Spaces traces the origins of the conflict and revolution in societal issues, including unemployment, inequality and poverty, and explores how Islam and security influenced the transition. The book not only offers a thorough understanding of the role of youth in the revolution and how they were shaped by Tunisia's educational system. Crucially, it provides a comprehensive understating of theoretical and methodological insights needed to study educational transitions in other post-revolutionary contexts.

Educational Transitions in Post-Revolutionary Spaces explores the transformation of the education system in Tunisia following the Jasmine Revolution, the first of a wave of revolutions known as the Arab Spring. The authors provide a detailed account of how Tunisia's robust education system shaped and sparked the conflict as educated youth became disgruntled with their economic conditions. Exploring themes such as radicalization, gender, activism and social media, the chapters map out the steps occurring during transitions from authoritarian rule to democracy. Educational Transitions in Post-Revolutionary Spaces traces the origins of the conflict and revolution in societal issues, including unemployment, inequality and poverty, and explores how Islam and security influenced the transition. The book not only offers a thorough understanding of the role of youth in the revolution and how they were shaped by Tunisia's educational system. Crucially, it provides a comprehensive understating of theoretical and methodological insights needed to study educational transitions in other post-revolutionary contexts.

This book draws critical connections between teacher education or preparation and the field of comparative and international education (CIE) showing ways in which the two fields can inform and advance one another. The chapters consider how teacher education shapes and is shaped by CIE, particularly in an era of socio-cultural upheavals, politico-economic transformations and climate or health crises affecting the human and natural world. The question at the core of the book is: in what ways can comparative and international education support a rethinking of teacher education in the wake of the social movements for equity, justice and civil liberties with ramifications for educators around the world? It includes contributions from leading academics based in Argentina, Canada, China, Columbia, Finland, Grenada, Hong Kong, Myanmar, Spain, South Africa, Turkey and the USA. The chapters cover topics ranging from equity, social justice, and the sustainable development goals to country case-studies including teacher education in Myanmar and a comparative study of teacher preparation in South Korea and the USA.

This book offers a practical and approachable overview of central theories in comparative and international education (CIE). The chapters focus in depth on specific theoretical perspectives and seek to elucidate the histories, assumptions, and recent developments of these theories. The chapters also situate the theories within CIE, include specific case studies of theoretical application, and outline suggestions for further reading. Written by leading scholars from around the world, this is must-have reference work for anyone teaching, researching, studying, or working in CIE. The handbook includes chapters on a diverse collection of theories, including but not limited to: Structural-functionalism, Colonialism/Imperialism, Marxism, Human Capital Theory, Dependency/World Systems Theory, Post-Colonialism, Post-Socialism, Post-Foundationalism, Neo-liberalism, Neo-Institutionalism, Neo-Marxism, Policy Borrowing and Lending, Peace Theories, Human Rights, Constructivism, Racism, Gender, Queer Theory, Social Network Theory, Capabilities Theory, and Cultural Political Economy.