NORRAG blog series: International Organisations and the Global Governance of Education

The NORRAG blog series on “International organisations and the global governance of education” will be curated and edited by Maren Elfert, NORRAG blog editor. The series features short pieces that contribute to the debate about the role and impact of international organisations, global actors and agendas in the global governance of education.

The term “global governance” is commonly associated with Rosenau and Czempiel’s book Governance without Government, published in 1992. It reflects the transformations of the dynamics of government and power in the international system from the governments of nation-states towards an increasingly complex network of governance beyond the nation-state. The perspective of “global governance” emerged since the 1990s, when realist theories  of international relations seemed increasingly inadequate to explain the rising influence of non-state actors and technology in policy-making in the context of globalisation.

Global agendas such as Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4), are a key instrument of the global governance of education. They provide legitimacy for the policy solutions promoted and pursued by international organisations, such as UNESCO, the World Bank and the OECD, as well as for non-state actors, in particular private corporations and philanthropic foundations, who are gaining influence in the global governance landscape. In recent years, research on the role of EdTech companies, multistakeholder groups such as the Global Partnership for Education and public-private partnerships has intensified. Another important instrument of the global governance of education are technologies of governance, such as large-scale assessment surveys, benchmarking, rankings, accountability and management tools.

The series invites empirically-grounded and critical contributions on the following themes:

• The role, impact and legitimacy of international organisations and other transnational and global actors, such as corporations, philanthropic foundations and EdTech companies, on educational policy and practice
• Global agendas in education, such as Education for All (EFA), SDG 4
• Transnational power dynamics in the global education policy and aid architecture
• The promises, challenges and effects of technologies of governance, such as large-scale assessment surveys, benchmarking, accountability tools, etc.

Please refer to the general guidelines for NORRAG blog submissions

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