Globalization and the Changing Nature of the OECD's Educational Work Fazal Rizvi and Bob Lingard

Globalization and the Changing Nature of the OECD's Educational Work Fazal Rizvi and Bob Lingard Introduction Among the intergovernmental organizations af fecting educational policy development, the OECD In recent years, intergovernmental organizations plays a pre-cminent and distinctive role, especially in (IG05) have become highly intluential in shaping the developing countries, but increasingly in the rest educational policy at the national level. They have of the world as well. More and more, the OEeD has played a prominent role in charting the policy developed alliances with other intergovernmental agendas of nation-states; in turn national govern organizations such as UNESCO, EU, and the World ments have looKed to (GUs to construct their Bank not only to explore the contours of policy H strategit , for developing, legitimating, and imple options in education, but also actively to promote its menting programs of educational reform. Develop policy preferencl's. The case of the OECD is inter ing countries have of course always been subject to esting because it neither has the legal instruments at the dictates of IG05, such as the World Bank and hand nor linancial means at its disposal actively to other lending bodies, through mechanisms of promote policymaking at the nationalleve!; yet over accountability attached to loam and aid, such as the the past decade its influence over its member coun structural adjustment schenws. But more recently, tries and others has increased markedly. Through governments of developed countries too have cedl'd its Indicators in Education project, through the some of their autonomy in puhlic policy devl'lop Programme for International Student Assessment nwnt to IG05. For example, the Bologna l'rocess, (PISA), and through its thematic policy reviews, its supported by the European Union (EU), has com educational agenda has become an important refer pelled national policymakers to restructure their ence point for assessment of policy initiatives and systems of higher education to ensure a fairer and programme effectiveness at the nationalleve!, while more efficient system of credit transfer, enabling also contributing to the constitution of a global students to become 1110re mobile across national policy space in education (Lingard, Rawolle, and systems, something which is considered highly Taylor 200S). desirable for t he global economy. As Martens In this chapter we explore some of the reasons for et al. (2004) have pointed out, 1(;Os have become the increasing international influence of the OECD increasingly important in national policymaking in in education; and suggest that a part of the education by developing new governance mechan explanation lies in the way the OECD has utilized isms involving policy and program coordination, the ideology of globalization, speaking consistently opinion formation, and the development of other of 'the imperatives of globalization' and of the need imtruments of both legal reqUirements and finan to reformulate educational purposes and govern cial support. ance in line with the requirements of the global 248 economy. From its veTY beginning, the OEeD has 2000: 1). [n formal terms, the OEeD describes itself had to negotiate a central tension at the heart of its as: ... 'a club of Iikc'-l1linded countries. It is rich, in educational policy work between the economic and that OEeD countries produce two thirds of the cultural ends of education, hetween the promotion world\ goods and services, but it is not an exclusive of social equity on the one hand and social effici club. Essentially, membership is limited only by a ency on the other. We will argue that over the pa~t country's commitment to a market economy and a decade or so, the OEeD agenda in education has pluralistic democracy' (OEeD 1997). increasingly hecome tilted towards social effiCiency, Established in 1961 out of the Organization for as it has promoted a particular ideological view of European Economic Cooperation (OEEe) funded educational aims linked to the requirements of a under the Marshall Plan for the economic recon glohal knowledge economy and a range of ideas struction of Europe, the OECD has remained about educational governance derived from the new essentially a US-backed initiative, with the United theories of puhlic management, which increasingly States still contrihuting 2:) per cent of the Organi promote corporatized and privatized administration zation's budget. This is not to say the relationship of education, outcome measures, and knowledge as hetween the US amI the OEeD's European members commodity. has always been an easy one. Indeed, the European countries have always sought to 'tone down' the dominant US versions of market liberalism, with The OECD their own distinctive social democratic agendas. The US interventiom in key appOintments and As an intergovernmental organization affecting the in the formulation of work plans have also heen seeming convergence of education policy thinking resisted from time to time. For example, in relation around the world (see Rizvi 200S), the OECI) to education, it was largely at the insistence of the occupies an important place. Its educational policy US and against considerable internal opposition work is widely used by national governments to that the controversial project on educational indi guide their reform agendas. Its statistical compila cators was initiated in the mid-19HOs (Henry et al. tions provide a reference point for benchmarking 2000: eh. 4). Perhaps, then, Haas's description and for promoting policy debates. Governments (1990: 159) of the founding of thl' OECD as 'a rather look to the OECO to define policy options; and are incoherent compromise between the United States increasingly prepared to fall in line hehind its and the European members' retains salience, as does recommendations. This has not always been the his ohservation that mmt international organiza case. The OECD has traditionally viewed itself as a tions have their own superpower 'capable of playing unique forum, which enables the governments of a Iwgemot1ic role if it chose to do so' (p. :)7). the industrialized economies to examine and for It should he noted however that the OEeD's mulate their own distinctive policies in both eco capacity to contain its members is limited, hecause nomic and social spheres. However, its outreach unlike many other international agencies, Ihe and impact are now greater than this, through its OEeD has no prescriptive mandate over its member work with 'non-member economics' and its con countries. Rather, it operates through a process of tribution to glohal policy discourse in education. Its 'consensus bui Iding' it nti t hrollgh 'peer pressure'. It Directorate for Education, for example, has a Unit is proud of its 'traditions of transparl'ncy: of pro for Co-operation with Non-member Economies viding explanatiom and ju;tif1catiol1s for poliCY, (NME), the terminology used hy the OEeD to refer and of engaging in critical self-appraisal' (OECD to non-memher countries. I 1998: 102). As Martens et al. (2004: [S) point out, The OECD has variously and simultaneously been the OECD does not have any legally hinding man described as: a think-tank, a geographic entity, an date over its members; nor dol'S it have the financial organizational structure, a policymaking forum, a resources at its disposal to encourage policy adop network of policymakers, researchers, and con tion. It thus seeks to exert intluence through pro sultants, and a sphere of influence (Henry et al. ces,es of 'mutual examination hy governments, 249 multilateral surveillance and peer pressure to con an increasingly important role in this field. Society's form or reform'. Structurally, this is done through most important investment is in the education of an elaborate system of directorates, committees, its people.' He noted in particular how the inter and boards, at the apex of which i\ a Council nationally comparable statistics and indicators comprising representatives from each member underpin much of the work of the OECD, and that country, normally at ambassadorial or ministerial the ultimate outputs of its policy recommendations leveb. In this way, the OECD asserts its agenda in are designed to increase both the quality and equity rather informal ways though the processes of of education systems. He went on to list equity in opinion formation ami coordination, in a manner access and outcomes, quality, choice, public and that is dynamic and constantly shifting. private financing, and individual and social returns Over the past decade or so, however, its proud to investment in learning as major areas of concern record as a debating forum has seemingly been for the OECD. In presenting the OECD's educa undermined by the triumph of neo-liheral precepts tional work in such terms, he appeared to commit of economic activity. As we have already noted, the Organization to a neo-Iiberal instrumentalist within the OECD there has always been a tension conception of education, viewed as a major factor hetween support for US-style market capitalism in contributing to human capital formation and with a minimal welfare state and the stronger Eur economic growth. opean social-market model framed by social-demo Of course, this "hould hardly be surprising, since cratic ideology. The OECD encouraged debates the OECD is after all an organization concerned between Keynesian thinking and views critical of its primarily with economic policy; and in so far as it as,umptions. In more recent years, however, this has an interest in education, this must dearly be debate, once conducted in philosophical terms, linked to its overall econornic objectives. This is in seems to have vanished, replaced by a more tech line with the OECD's original charter in which there nocratic discourse concerning the ways nco-liberal was no independent structural location for educa policies of free trade and competition are best pro tion within the Organization, though there was moted.

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