The Rise of the Economics of Education. An Oecd Perspective

Abstract

The new discipline of the economics of education promised solutions to the problems arising from backwardness and the advent of mass education. Recently, a new “transnational approach in the history of education” (Ferraz-Lorenzo, Machado- Trujillo, 2020; Martín García, González-Delgado 2020; 5) has emerged which emphasises the role of the international organisations in fostering the evolution of the education systems worldwide. The OEEC-OECD was crucial in spreading the new approach in education for development, and this commitment was also overdetermined by the Cold War and, therefore, inspired by the modernisation theory. In this scenario, this article recalls the role of the OEEC-OECD in affirming the new paradigm, specifically introducing the Italian case, the forerunner in the organisation for the policies regarding Southern Europe. This area was the initial target for the technical assistance activities, and also a laboratory for new development visions and practices.