This paper offers a model for the comparative analysis of educational borrowing and policy transfer in developing countries. It builds upon the ‘continuum of educational transfer’ proposed by Phillips and Ochs, (2004a, b) and argues that although most developing countries have shared similar political-historical experiences, for example during the colonial period, their trajectories in respect of educational policy and their tendencies towards borrowing have developed in different directions. There is nothing surprising about this, and it is to be expected, given that each country has its own cultural-historical specificities. What is, however, potentially interesting is the marked differences between the trajectories of the former colonies of France and those of Britain, suggesting perhaps that the policy choices of these counties mirror, long after independence, those of the former colonial powers. As interesting are the

*University of Oxford, Department of Educational Studies, 15 Norham Gardens, Oxford OX2 6PY, UK. Email: [email protected]

noticeable within-group differences between former British colonies and those of French speaking countries, although the latter are often less pronounced-some of this explained by the fact that some ‘countries’ are overseas départements, such as Ile de la Réunion, Martinique and Guadeloupe. Nevertheless, the continued relationship between their respective former colonies and France and Britain has produced varied and interesting examples of educational transfer and has resulted in a similarly varied set of educational policy trajectories. Put another way, the historical, political and economic circumstances of one country (or more than one country), in relation to another, have produced variants in the nature and shape of educational policy choices. These trajectories and their historical, political and economic determinants are the subject of this paper.