UNESCO Chair in Political Economy of Education, University of Nottingham (2005)
Purpose/Objectives of the Chair
Education policy, like other aspects of public policy, is shaped by a complex set of economic, political and social factors. The critical analysis of this process is the function of political economy; a task made more urgent in the context of globalization and of rapid political, economic and social transition. The political economy of education uses data derived from positive economics and from other social sciences, such as sociology and political science, to analyse how education policy is determined and implemented. A specific focus is the financing of education and its relationship with the labour market.
The purpose of the Chair is to develop the political economy of education comparatively within the context of international development objectives. Its focus is on joint research and on staff and post-graduate student development at the higher education and advanced policy levels. The building of human resource capacity and the sharing of knowledge and expertise in these areas are crucial to international, regional and national development. The UNESCO Chair in Political Economy of Education contributes to such capacity building through the building of an international network of research and higher education institutions with a focus on the comparative political economy of education.
Chairholder Professor John Morgan
Address: Centre for Comparative Education Research, School of Education, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG8 1BB, UK
Email: John.Morgan [at] nottingham.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)115 951 3717
Fax: +44 (0)115 951 4397
Quick Link to this page: http://www.unesco.org.uk/NottinghamChair
Professor William John Morgan is Chairholder of the UNESCO Chair in Political Economy of Education, School of Education at the University of Nottingham. He has conducted research and evaluation studies for both national and international agencies, including a major 2006 study of international teacher mobility commissioned by the Department for International Development. Between 2002 and 2008 he was a member of the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the United Kingdom and chaired the Commission’s Academic Staff Fellowships and Professional Fellowships committees. He is currently Chairman of the Board of Directors of the United Kingdom National Commission for UNESCO. He is also a member of the UNIVERSITAS 21 advisory group on Higher Education and the Millennium Development Goals. In December 2009 he was an invited member of the Higher Education panel of the Beijing Forum on Public Policy and the Economic and Financial Crisis. On 13th May 2010, he was awarded the honorary degree of D.Sc. by the Institute of Sociology, Russian Academy of Sciences, at a special meeting of the Academic Council of the Institute in Moscow.
Professor Morgan’s current research interests are in the comparative political economy of higher education and public policy, especially in states and societies in transition and in the context of globalization; and in anthropological theory, peace education and community conflict resolution. A fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute and of the Royal Society of Arts, he has published numerous articles, reviews and books and supervised many doctoral students.
Selected Recent Publications
- UNIVERSITY WORLD NEWS: The global window on higher education. Dr Bin Wu and Professor W John Morgan, 24 July 2011, Issue: 181.
- Higher education in China: beyond the expansion (Ed., with B. Wu), Routledge, London, 2011, xiv and 174p, ISBN: 9780 415 56413 7.
- ‘NGOs in Bangladesh: Their contribution to social capital development and to community empowerment.’ (With M. R. Islam), Community Development Journal: In press.
- ‘Non-formal education and civil society in post-soviet Russia’ (With G. A. Kliucharev), Policy Futures in Education, Issue 9, No 5, 2011: ISSN: 1478-2103. In press.
- ‘Education, citizenship and the new public diplomacy in the UK: What is their relationship?’ (E. J. Brown and S. McGrath), Citizenship, Social and Economic Education, Vol. 8, No. 2/3, 2010, pp. 73-83.
- ‘Integrating employment and skills policy: Lessons from the United Kingdom’s New Deal for Young People.’ (With R. Nicholls): Education, Knowledge and Economy, Vol. 3, No. 2, 2009, pp.81-96.
- Normative Values in Adult Education and their Contemporary Relevance: The James A Draper Lecture, 2009, International Institute of Adult and Lifelong Education, Delhi, p. 22. ISBN: 0973-1601.
- 'Martin Buber's philosophy of education and its implications for non-formal education.' (With Alexandre Guilherme), International Journal of Lifelong Education. Vol. 28, No. 5, 2009, pp. 565-581. ISSN: 0260-1370.
- 'Student motivations, quality and status in adult higher education in China.' (With Wang Naixia) International Journal of Lifelong Education. Vol. 28, No. 4, 2009, pp. 473-491. ISSN: 0260-1370.
- 'Higher education and the starting wages of graduates in China' (with Li Fengliang and Ding Xiaohao): International Journal of Educational Development, 29, 4, 2009, pp. 374-81. ISSN: 0738 0593.
- Guest Editor, (with Albert Tuijnman), European Journal of Education: Research, Development and Policy, Special Issue, 'Chinese-European Cooperation in Education', Vol.44, No.1, March, 2009. ISSN 0141 8211(print), 1465 3465 (online).
- Editorial: 'Europe and China: a new era of cultural contact and cooperation in education.' (With A.C. Tuijnman), European Journal of Education: Research, Development and Policy, Vol.44, No.1, March, 2009, ISSN 0141 8211(print), 1465 3465 (online) pp.5-8.
Select Activity
For all events held in 2008 and 2009, visit the Centre for Comparative Education Research webpages.
University of Nottingham 
Chairholder Professor John Morgan