Choice and competition in education: an endless controversy?

Choice and competition are two buzzwords in the current discourse on education. It is often argued that, in order to achieve a better education, “freedom of choice” and more competition among schools are needed. This article questions this assertion. It discusses the concepts of choice and competiti...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Neves, Vítor (author)
Format: other
Language:eng
Published: 2016
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10316/41747
Country:Portugal
Oai:oai:estudogeral.sib.uc.pt:10316/41747
Description
Summary:Choice and competition are two buzzwords in the current discourse on education. It is often argued that, in order to achieve a better education, “freedom of choice” and more competition among schools are needed. This article questions this assertion. It discusses the concepts of choice and competition and claims that, rather than a technical issue (as economists usually maintain), the desirability or otherwise of adopting market mechanisms in education is, first of all, an issue regarding the purposes of education and how the means chosen condition the goals that individuals and society aim to attain.