Promotion of Economic Growth through Education - Essay Example

Explain why the British has so obviously failed to use its control of education to promote economic growth, in the period since 1979 Introduction: This paper will focus on the relationship between education, government policies, globalization and economic development especially within the context of UK to analyze whether the British state has failed in promoting economic growth through education. Stewart (1996) has claimed that the global economy has increased opportunities for countries with strong educational policies and countries with good human resources and economic policies have attracted foreign investments experiencing rapid growth in output per capita. The need for policies focused on good education seem to be important for any country that would aim for high rates of innovation and productivity and the basis of building strong human resource power is based on a strong educational foundation. Countries with weak human resources have weak educational foundations and declining incomes per capita. Stewart suggests that poor or high educational emphasis can lead to a cycle of negative and positive growth in the economy which in turn would lead to formation of weak or strong educational systems. This analysis is based on the relationship of British economic growth and the educational policies since 1979. We discuss whether educational policies could or could not be used to promote economic growth considering R&D inputs and extent of state control. Educational Policy and Global Economy Considering the changes in the educational approach Arthur (2005) argues that character education could be related to citizenship education that provides a basic framework to morals and values. There have been many changes within the British educational policy and after a period of neglect in moral values within education during the 1960s, between 1979 and 1997, Conservative governments have attempted to reinforce moral standards by establishing state control on the school curriculum. Arthur points out that the values that are now being emphasized by New Labour seeks to promote pragmatic moral ethics and behavior and along with meeting the needs of the pupil also raises school performance and meets the needs of the new economy by promoting democratic participation (2005, 242-245). Considering the diverse and differing views on what constitutes character or morality, Arthur (2005) shows that character education can be reduced to a set of behavior outcomes which may not serve the purpose of promoting higher ideals and ethics. The conservatives' educational policies gave full freedom to every school to set its own admission policies. The Tories believed that the free school policies would rationalize education spending and help most popular schools to expand. Regular inspection of the school and examination of management activities has been recommended by the Tories. Conservative policies however encouraged universities to focus on breaking away from government control and establish greater autonomy through endowments. Conservatives have suggested that teacher shortages show that Labour has failed to deliver on education. The focus of conservatives is to have an educational policy with reduced class sizes and greater educational autonomy. However does educational autonomy signify economic growth Jones and Thomas (2005) argue that fair access and widening participation of students are important within the UK higher education agenda. The strands of policies on government approach to access and participation have been examined by Jones and Thomas and they suggest that one aspect of government policies is based on attracting talented young people in an unreformed higher education system and the second strand suggests that there is a need for reform in such policies (Jones and Thomas, 2005, 622). The government's 2003 White Paper on the future of higher education highlights the differences between the economic and social objectives of education and also examines the notion of institutional differentiation. Jones and Thomas conclude their analysis of the White paper with the argument that the government is motivated to follow a more differentiated higher education system with differences reflected in institutional settings. Educational Policy and Economic Growth However it is important to note the changes in the British educational policy since 1979 and its effects on the economic growth of the country. As discussed the need for changes in educational policy has been related to the changes in the new economy and globalized world system. Jary (2005) shows that developments in UK higher education could be related to the central tenets of the Third Way theory that is an alternative to free market liberalism on the one hand and active state interventionism on the other. New Labour policies combine public finance with public services and Jary claims that higher education policies followed by New Labour seek to be strong embodiments of Third Way principles. He argues that these policies provide the best way for higher education that matches the needs of the global knowledge economy enhancing social justice and social inclusion (2005, 640). Higher education policies based on a balance of state control and liberalism seems to provide the basis for promoting economic growth. Yet the British government seems to have obviously failed in its policies to control education for promoting a global knowledge economy. In this context Keep and Mayhew (1999) argue that despite government policy initiatives to change the educational system, there has been only limited improvement in UK's performance in vocational and educational training. Despite certain market failures affecting supply of skills the new global knowledge economy has in general led to increased demands for skilled human capital. Keep and Mayhew however suggest that there may be a need to develop a greater appreciation of skills among employers and recognition of their contribution to the more competitive higher value-added economy in a globalized world today. Considering the fact that education policies do have considerable impact on economic growth, the effects of education on labor productivity have been studied thoroughly focusing on the fact that productivity effects inform decision making. Temple (2000) claimed that the changes brought about by education towards economic growth are likely to be slow. Yet in a realistic economic growth model, increased R&D spending with higher total research inputs can lead to economic growth. Conclusion: Thus despite government initiatives to change higher education according to the needs of the new economy and to promote character, moral values through education that emphasize on social justice and social inclusion, considering UK records on vocational education and training, government achievements seem to have fallen short of the objectives set out. We identified R&D spending as highlighted by educational policies can lead to higher economic growth although maintaining a balance between liberalism and interventionism and sate control would be crucial in any educational policy focused on economic growth. Considering these issues, despite changes since 1979, the British educational policies seem to have failed to meet the demands of the new knowledge economy. Bibliography: Arthur, James (2005) THE RE-EMERGENCE OF CHARACTER EDUCATION IN BRITISH EDUCATION POLICY British Journal of Educational Studies, Volume 53,Number 3, pp. 239-254(16) Bagnall R. G. (2000) Lifelong learning and the limitations of economic determinism International Journal of Lifelong Education, Volume 19,Number 1, pp. 20-35(16) Jones, Robert;Thomas, Liz (2005) The 2003 UK Government Higher Education White Paper: a critical assessment of its implications for the access and widening participation agenda Journal of Education Policy, Volume 20,Number 5, pp. 615-630(16) Jary, David (2005) UK higher education policy and the 'global Third Way' Policy & Politics, Volume 33,Number 4, pp. 637-655(19) Keep E.;Mayhew K. (1999) The assessment: knowledge, skills, and competitiveness Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Volume 15,Number 1, pp. 1-15(15) Mitra J.;Matlay H. (2004) Entrepreneurial and vocational education and training: Lessons from Eastern and Central Europe Industry and Higher Education, Volume 18,Number 1, pp. 53-61(9) Ravenscroft, Neil;Gilchrist, Paul (2005) Post-Fordist restructuring and vocational training in sport in the UK Managing Leisure, Volume 10,Number 3, Number 3/ pp. 166-183(18) WINCH C.;CLARKE L. (2003) 'Front-loaded' Vocational Education versus Lifelong Learning. A Critique of Current UK Government Policy Oxford Review of Education, Volume 29,Number 2, pp. 239-252(14) Lloyd C.;Payne J. (2003) The political economy of skill and the limits of educational policy Journal of Education Policy, Volume 18,Number 1, pp. 85-107(23) Payne J. (2000) The unbearable lightness of skill: the changing meaning of skill in UK policy discourses and some implications for education and training Journal of Education Policy, Volume 15,Number 3, pp. 353-369(17) Pollitt, Christopher (1987) The politics of performance assessment: Lessons for higher education Studies in Higher Education, Volume 12,Number 1, pp. 87-98(12) Stewart F. (1996) Globalisation and education International Journal of Educational Development, Volume 16,Number 4, pp. 327-333(7) Temple, J (2000) Education and economic growth Available at http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/D5C/F5/253.pdf Conservatives: Education policies, 2001 BBC News http://news.bbc.co.uk/vote2001/hi/english/main_issues/sections/party_policies/newsid_1178000/1178533.stm Read More