The emergence of public-private partnerships in the global education agenda: New challenges for educational research

Résumé

Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) - i.e. policies that involve collaboration between the public and
the private sector when it comes to the provision of public services - have acquired iconic status in
global education agendas. As a consequence, currently, PPPs are highly present in the discussions
on education reform in both industrialized and developing countries, and higher levels of private
participation, school choice and schools’ competition are being promoted within educational
systems.
This article explores the origins of the PPPs in education idea and, specifically, what international
organizations and through which mechanisms are promoting its global implementation. The article
also highlights the weaknesses of the arguments and methodologies which underpin the policy
prescriptions of the PPPs advocates and, in turn, raises an alternative research agenda based on
the so-called 'realist evaluation' approach.