Who Controls Education?

Examines the rise of vested interests in European education and the consequences this has for users of education.

This book explores the role vested interests play in shaping European education policy, often at the expense of children. Interest groups are powerful, users of education are not. The consequence of this inequality in organisational power is explored in this book for the first in time in over forty years.Why are interest groups on the march in Europe? How do they become so powerful? Why do reformers struggle with plans to overhaul education systems? In Who Controls Education?, Susanne Wiborg investigates the dynamics of educational interest groups across four European countries: England, France, Germany and Sweden, alongside their counterparts in the European Union. She delves into why some groups wield more power than others and how they gain access to policymaking venues to shape education reforms. The book reveals a gap between reformers' intentions and policy outcomes, often attributed to group politics, with significant consequences for education users, historically a weak organisational group. Wiborg shows that addressing the role of vested interest is crucial for creating an education system where all children benefit.