Constructing the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment

Abstract

This article proposes a conceptual framework that draws from the political economy,
international relations and sociology disciplines. The political economic context situates the PISA
within the broader political rationality of neoliberalism. The international relations lens sheds
light on the role that American influence played in the PISA’s construction and more generally, in
the governance of international organizations. Sociological theories drawn from the sociology of
science and technology and from Michel Foucault’s conceptualization of the power bloc formation
provide an understanding of how the PISA ‘works’ and how it is used to exercise power.