72.027 - Piketty's Relevance for the Study of Education: Reflections on the Political Economy of Education

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

What is education’s role in producing a more equal, just society, where marginalized populations share in global prosperity? According to Thomas Piketty, not much. Drawing on historical and comparative economic analysis, Piketty’s (2014) new treatise, Capital in the 21st Century, argues that growth and the diffusion of knowledge are not decreasing inequality. To the contrary, returns on capital are increasing faster than growth, and the 21st century is destined for higher levels of inequality. This symposium will examine if, how, and to what extent Piketty’s analysis is useful for understanding inequality and educational policy and practice. The panelists will do so through empirical cases operating on different spatial scales, illustrating why political economy is a critical form of educational analysis.

Sub Unit

• Division G - Social Context of Education / Division G - Section 4: Social Context of Education Policy, Politics, and Praxis

Chairs

• Rebecca Tarlau, Stanford University

• Kathryn Moeller, University of Wisconsin - Madison

Papers

• The Political Economy of Education and Inequality: Reflections on Piketty - Steven J. Klees, University of Maryland

• Justifying Inequality: School Resegregation and the Cultural Political Economy of Parent Fund-Raising - Michael J. Dumas, University of California - Berkeley

• Inequality, Growth, and the Redistribution of Capital: Assessing Piketty's Relevance for Social Movements and Education - Rebecca Tarlau, Stanford University

• Girls, Capital, and Inequality: Reflections on Piketty's Relevance for Corporate Influence in Girls' Education - Kathryn Moeller, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Teachers Unions and the Making of Global Capitalism - Lois Weiner, New Jersey City University

Discussant

• Michael W. Apple, University of Wisconsin - Madison