The Political Economy of Education Systems in Conflict-Affected Contexts

This report is a rigorous literature review on the political economy of education systems in conflict-affected contexts and is aimed at education advisers and agencies, development practitioners and Ministry of Education policy makers working in conflict-affected contexts. The report seeks to provide theoretically informed and policy relevant insights on the global, national and local governance of education systems in conflict-affected contexts garnered from a rigorous review of the academic and policy literature on the political economy of education in conflict-affected contexts. In the education sector in developing contexts, there is a strong recognition of the important role that political economy analysis might play in better understanding and addressing the obstacles to achieving the Education for All objectives agreed in Jomtien, Thailand in 1990 and the educational Millennium Development Goals. These challenges are undoubtedly most acute in countries affected by conflicts. Children in these countries are three times less likely to attend primary school than children living in non-conflict contexts, and these inequalities persist throughout all levels of education. Furthermore, there are also serious governance and capacity deficits in conflict-affected contexts that make educational reform more challenging and make providing and administering international development assistance more complex and problematic.