Education and International Development, 2000-2020: A Constructivist Critique of the One-Size-Fits-All Liberal Model

Education and International Development, 2000-2020: A Constructivist Critique of the One-size-fits-all Liberal Model advances the claim that there exists a liberal theory of international education. Ian Wash argues that the assumed harmony of this model is the main source of dispute in the field of education and international development. The liberal thinking behind the aspirations for education, the political levers necessary for its effective governance, and the ideas behind the policies all have contributed towards growing tensions that prevented international education from achieving optimal functionality. Through a qualitative discourse analysis of the key policy documents produced between 2000 and 2020, Wash reveals how the liberal model was discursively constructed as a grand narrative of three acts that chronicles the vision, process and outcomes of international education. Such a rendering brings an understanding of the hidden conflicts essential for finding a resolution to this policy puzzle, thereby improving the prosperity and wellbeing of those in poorer countries.

Ian Wash is Project Assistant Professor in the Center for Global Education at The University of Tokyo.