Globalization and Educational Restructuring in China

Abstract

We live in a global age. ‘Promoted by unrestricted mobility of capital and the unfettered freedom of trade’ (Gray, 1998, pp. 6–7), economic globalization has been a significant trend in our times. The process of globalization has not only internationalized the movement of capital and information, but also has affected the approaches individual nation states use to pursue their economic and social policies. With the rise of economic globalization, accompanied by the collapse of communism and the collectivist ideology, the values of free market capitalism prevail. The processes of decentralization and marketization can be detected even in the social service sectors in many countries (Bray, 1999). Similarly, the financing, curriculum, governance and management of education have been re-oriented and re-shaped by market-oriented approaches and practices (Currie and Newson, 1998; Spring, 1998; Taylor et al. , 1997). This tidal wave has also spilled over into China with the adoption of reform and open-door policies in 1978. These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.