‘Utility’ of education and the role of transformative agency: Policy challenges and agendas

Abstract

Over the last two decades, increasing participation rates in post-secondary education in many countries have been accompanied by decreases in aggregate economic growth and raising social tensions. It is obvious now that education does not ‘automatically’ produce more well-being (at least, if conventionally measured through income or gross domestic product) either for the individual or for society. This puts the question about education’s ‘utility’ in a new light, especially in relation to funding, which is central to the policymaking process. We briefly review literature on various rationales for supporting education and analyze existing evidences concerning the effects or consequences for societies of such investments in education and its related expansion. We outline two alternative agendas for positioning education in the framework of broader socioeconomic development. These agendas stem from different answers to the core question: can education drive the change in other spheres of societal life, or does it only respond to and follow the logics of larger institutional transformations? We suggest greater recognition in policy and public debates of the possible contribution that education may have to shaping transformative agency, and outline related prospects and potential pitfalls.

Art and Agency in the Era of De-Structuration: Exploring a New Field

“…OECD directly names “agency” and “transformative competences” one of the central goals for education systems in the horizon of 2030 (OECD, 2020 ). The actual learning process also changes, more and more relying on project-based activities and self-regulated learning (Sorokin & Froumin, 2022 ).…”

“…De-structuration means that principally new structures emerge, empowering and relying on individual agency, while conventional “modern” institutions also change and move in the same direction (in a variety of different ways and trajectories). Individual capacity to act initiatively and creatively, to build new and transform existing institutions, communities, and forms of behaviour – now is a legitimate element of “Human capital” – demanded by the states, corporations, families and other actors, shaping major shift in public debates and state policies (Sorokin & Froumin, 2022 ). However, what mechanisms and factors lie behind individual agency – remains highly unclear (Cavazzoni et al, 2021 ).…”

Improving the Quality of Human Resources through the Application of Good Psychology and Human Capital

“…Therefore, it is reasonable to infer that human capital possibly remains the dominating influence in thinking about higher education (and education in general) and the economy, which influences policy-making at the national and international levels. For its part, social capital has a significant and rising impact on how we comprehend the link between higher education, the economy, and society in general (Pavel & Isak, 2022). The definition, measurement, and application of these two notions, especially social capital, remain unsettled.…”

«Трансформирующая Агентность» Как Предмет Исследований И Разработок В XXI Веке: Обзор И Интерпретация Международного Опыта

“…Эмпирические исследования, проведенные российскими и зарубежными авторами в период пандемии, показывают решающее значение способности к самостоятельному индивидуальному инициативному действию (а не только к исполнению существующих регламентов) для эффективного функционирования системообразующих общественных институтов в период кризиса. Например, в российском поле это показано для сферы образования -в отношении не только учащихся, но и педагогов, а также администрации образовательных учреждений [Абрамова и др., 2020]; кроме того, в зарубежных исследованиях аналогичные тренды выявлены для сферы труда и досуга [Dwivediet al, 2020;Sorokin, Froumin, 2021].…”