Abstract
This chapter examines complementary frameworks for the governance of education that may favour democratic participation and a humanistic approach while countering neoliberal influences in the sector. This study adopts a philosophical-political perspective on the notion of “common goods”, considering it as a unitary category which goes beyond the economic classification of goods. It investigates the policy implications which result from the conceptualization of education as a common good in terms of humanistic vision, participatory democracy, community engagement and integrated approach to education. This framework implies a rethinking of political and economic paradigms and draws on recent studies of public policy and civil economy which may help identify more constructive and sustainable alternatives to address the challenges facing education systems worldwide.
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Notes
- 1.
Economic theory according to which individuals act independently for their own sake and personal return
- 2.
The reviving of the discourse around commons started after the crisis in the Sahel region. For a detailed and exhaustive analysis on the roots of the commons paradigm see: Locher, F. (2016). Third World Pastures: The Historical Roots of the Commons Paradigm (1965–1990), Quaderni Storici, 2016 (1), 303–333.
- 3.
See, for instance: Hess, C. and Ostrom, E. (2007). Understanding Knowledge as a Commons: From Theory to Practice. The MIT Press. https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/understanding-knowledge-commons
- 4.
See in this respect, the work of Ivan Illich (Deschooling Society, 1973), Paul Goodman (Compulsory Miseducation, 1971) or Paulo Freire (Pedagogy of the Oppressed, 1970).
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Locatelli, R. (2019). Education As a Common Good. In: Reframing Education as a Public and Common Good. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-24801-7_6
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