Education for Tod@s?

Author:

Mohler, Monica

Area of Honors:

International Politics

Degree:

Bachelor of Arts

Document Type:

Thesis

Thesis Supervisors:

Rebecca Tarlau, Thesis Supervisor
Gretchen G Casper, Thesis Honors Advisor

Keywords:

Education
case analysis
dictatorship
equality
democracy
command economy
capitalism
Chile
Cuba
neoliberal
education policy

Abstract:

Education systems and policies vary greatly throughout Latin America. There is also great disparity between country’s education systems and within each country’s education system.There are a number of influences on these policies. This paper seeks to analyze how a country’s regime type and market system impact the equality of its education system. I will do so by comparing the cases of Chile under Pinochet (1973-1990), Chile post-Pinochet (1991-present) and Cuba since the revolution of 1959. These cases present the outcomes of when an education system is influence by dictatorship, democracy, communism or neoliberalism. By comparing the actors, policies, and outcomes of each case I will show how regime type and market system impact the education system and its equality. I find that market-type has a greater impact on the education system than regime-type. Countries with higher-competition, and free markets will have a more unequal education system than those with command economies.