ABSTRACT

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book discusses a critical analysis of market mechanisms in education across contexts. It provides an in-depth discussion to show the acceleration of market-driven restructuring of US public education, particularly in urban areas. The book discusses the growing trend of school choice throughout the past three decades in Vancouver, Canada. It offers an overview of a growing interest among for-profit private providers of education services in universalizing access to basic education in developing countries such as Cambodia, Malawi, Kenya, Sri Lanka, South Africa, and Vietnam. The book focuses on India, where the privatization of social institutions is quickly growing. It also discusses global neoliberalism and the inequalities that have resulted from the market model.