Transforming Global Education Policy: Corporate Influence, Digitalization, and Equity

• In Event: Global Policy Networks, Advocacy Coalitions, and the Neoconservative Turn in Education

Proposal

Global education policy has increasingly shifted from a government-dominated model to a heterarchical governance model, where various actors shape education policies from global to local levels. This paper critically examines how these actors promote certain solutions through financial contributions and strategic influence, reshaping education governance. This topic aligns closely with the CIES 2025 conference theme, which emphasizes the implications of digital transformation for education policy and governance. While digital technologies have transformed the spaces, places, and processes of global education policy and are often presented as innovative solutions, they also raise significant equity concerns, particularly for marginalized populations in low-resource regions.
Relevance to CIES 2025
This paper directly addresses the CIES 2025 theme by analyzing how digital transformation in education is influenced by corporate and philanthropic actors. It critically analyzes the shifts that digitization has brought about in global education policy and highlights the implications of the growing influence of corporations that often exacerbates existing inequalities, particularly for marginalized populations without access to the necessary infrastructure.
Theoretical Framework and Research Questions
The study uses critical policy analysis (Diem et al., 2014) and network analysis (Borgatti et al., 2018) as the guiding theoretical frameworks. Critical policy analysis explores the socio-political dynamics behind corporate and philanthropic influence in education policy, while network analysis maps relationships among global education actors, revealing how financial contributions shape policy agendas. The key research questions guiding the study are:
1. How do corporate actors and philanthropies use financial contributions to shape the governance and implementation of global education policy in a digital society?
2. What are the equity implications of these corporate-driven policies for marginalized populations?
Data Collection and Analysis
Data are drawn from publicly available data sources focusing on 36 global education industry actors working across the globe, where each actor is active in at least more than one country. These data sources help trace the financial contributions and relationships that influence education policy decisions. Network analysis maps the connections between corporations, philanthropies, and governments and their funding sources, while critical policy analysis examines the broader socio-political context of these relationships.
Research Methods and Findings
The study employs critical policy analysis and social/policy network analysis to investigate how corporate and philanthropic actors use financial power to influence global education policy. The findings reveal that these actors have used digitization to create new spaces, places, and processes for policy formation and implementation and often drive digitalization policies that prioritize scalability and profitability, neglecting the needs of marginalized communities. As a result, corporate-driven education policies frequently exacerbate the digital divide, particularly in regions with limited infrastructure.
Original Contribution
This paper contributes to the field by providing a critical analysis of how corporate influence and philanthrocapitalism shape global education governance. It challenges the assumption that digitalization is inherently beneficial for all, showing that it can deepen inequalities when driven by corporate interests. The study calls for a rethinking of education policy to ensure equity and inclusion are prioritized in digital transformations.

Authors

• Moaaz Hamid, Indiana University - Bloomington

• Christopher Lubienski, Indiana University