Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of some of the key concepts discusses in the subsequent chapters of this book. It begins by addressing the term "neoliberalism" and its implications for the structure of the state and the privatization of public assets. The chapter then extends that discussion into an explanation of what has been more popularly referred to as "corporate education reform" and how it relates to power and policy networks within public education. It continues with an overview of social network analysis (SNA) as a methodology generally and relative to educational policy analysis specifically. The chapter concludes with a discussion of each chapter and how to make sense of them as examples of governance structures in the neoliberal state and as examples of different approaches to analyzing these structures. The foundation of network governance in education policy is largely consistent with the broader neoliberal project.