ABSTRACT
The hegemonic conception of our age is that of linear-time (the idea of progress) that presents itself as a post-linear time-space (the idea of globalization). Whatever is currently dominant in social and political terms is infi nitely expansive, thereby encompassing all future possibilities. The total control over the current state of affairs is deemed to be possible by means of extremely effi cient power and knowledge. Herein lies the radical denial of alternatives to present-day reality. This is the context underlying the utopian dimension of the WSF, which consists of asserting the existence of alternatives to neo-liberal globalization. (Whitaker, Sousa Santos, & Cassen, 2006, p. 73)
INTRODUCTION
For much of the world, the 1980s marked the beginning of the era of neoliberalism, a period dominated by New Right ideology in which governments connect economic development with political liberty and focus on promoting effi ciency in the public sphere. These developments have been associated with the introduction of “New Public Management” (NPM) as a new mode of governance, one that advocates the contracting out of social services, limiting government responsibility, advocating consumerism, and streamlining and re-engineering service structures through downsizing and merging (Walsh, 1995). NPM has been very infl uential in many countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Asian NICs (New Industrial Countries). It has also been used both as a legitimizing basis and instrumental means for reforming state educational bureaucracies, educational institutions, and the processes that shape public policy (Fitzsimons, 1999).
