ABSTRACT
Since the 2001 publication of Goldman Sachs's forecast on the rise of the BRICs 1 , a growing recognition has emerged regarding a sea change in the structure of the global economy. Indeed, newly industrializing economies (NIEs) like China and India have begun moving up the global value chain to compete with advanced economies in the production of high-value goods and services. In truth, many NIEs have been outgrowing advanced economies (as a percentage of gross domestic product) since the early 1990s (Nederveen Pieterse, 2011). Despite this, NIEs like China and India are now confronted with the need to generate new proficiencies in engineering, finance, research and development (R&D), design, and the arts. China, in particular, is now pressed to reform its education system in order to develop high-skilled labor. Looking at the discourse on state capitalism and the rise of China, I argue that one of the many challenges facing NIEs is the growing need to develop new postindustrial systems of education.
