Book Description

Health for All and Education for All have been rallying cries for a host of international development activities for more than a quarter century. Where did these global goals come from? Why have the health goals seemingly advanced so much faster than those in education? In this book, author Colette Chabbott explores the foundational role that international development organizations and the innovations they champion have played in shaping and advancing such goals. Chabbott demonstrates the importance of science and measurement in rendering some innovations more universal and compelling than others. Her analysis includes in-depth case studies of innovations developed at the grassroots and scaled up at the national and international levels by the International Center for Diarrheal Disease Research and by BRAC, once a Bangladeshi now a major international NGO. These studies all suggest that greater investment in new types of education research, based in the Third World, but with strong ties to research centers of international scope in the First World, are likely the prerequisites for achieving better, cheaper, faster universal education. This important book will provoke scholars, students, and international development practitioners to think more deeply about the cultural and scientific underpinnings of education and international development. The author’s careful analyses are particularly needed as the international community defines new global goals for the post-2015 era. Book Features: Introduces the key international organizations and movements in the field of education for development. Provides a unique interpretation of the many tensions that characterize the field: government vs. non-government organizations; institutions vs. actors; and loose coupling between policies and action. Addresses the current debate about research methods in education, including quantitative indicators, randomized controlled trials, and case studies. Identifies new activities and potential directions related to the global goals phenomenon. “This is that rare book, one that is grounded in decades of policy experiences in the international development field, yet is also theoretically motivated.” —From the Foreword by Francisco O. Ramirez “Colette Chabbott brings years of development experience and exacting sociological analysis to challenge status quo understandings about the world development enterprise in this unique, ambitious, and important book.” —David P. Baker, professor of education and sociology, Penn State University, and author of The Schooled Society “In a masterful review of more than 50 years of global interventions aimed at achieving Education and Health for All, Chabbott utilizes the best in institutional theory and comparative analysis to provide a thought-provoking account of the organizational and institutional dynamics that structure, shape, and limit our ability to achieve some of the world’s most compelling goals.” —Karen Mundy, president, Comparative and International Education Society