ABSTRACT
Interconnectedness, and the attendant instantaneous and unfettered spreading of ideas and goods does not necessarily enrich or improve our lives, but it revalorizes the meaning of social and personal relations. This revalorization is not necessarily a positive development. The origins of neoliberalism lie in liberalism , which was influenced by Adam Smith's seminal work “An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations.” Smith's thesis, encapsulated in the laissez-faire proposition, was simple and attractive: any regulations on the economic activity of individuals or trade are unnecessary. Neoliberalism – or neoliberal globalization – is implemented through a series of changes best gleaned through education policy. In the UK, for instance, the foundations of neoliberalism in education were laid out in the 1980s, with the 1988 Education Reform Act that the conservative government of Margaret Thatcher introduced. While this discussion draws on the UK, it is by no means confined to it.
