First published in 1987, The Incorporation of Education examines developments in education during the difficult economic circumstances of the late 1970s and the early 1980s. The research is undertaken from a perspective that emphasizes personal and social development and provides a basis for both a critical examination of what was happening in education at the time and for developing strategies for achieving more developmental outcomes. By means of a series of case studies, the author examines the operation of educational systems in various countries – the USA, the UK, Australia, Western Europe, Malaysia – stressing the relevance of economic circumstances and demonstrating how interest groups operated in relation to such circumstances. Dr Hunt shows that education, particularly in its capacity as a knowledge-producing institution, was increasingly being incorporated into productive systems of activity, partly as a contributor to increased productivity and competitiveness, and partly as a commercial enterprise in its own right. He identifies issues and questions for both researchers and participants in education and suggests strategies that more developmentally oriented groups could pursue.
