The emergence of public-private partnerships in the global education agenda: New challenges for educational research

Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) - i.e. policies that involve collaboration between the public and the private sector when it comes to the provision of public services - have acquired iconic status in global education agendas. As a consequence, currently, PPPs are highly present in the discussions on education reform in both industrialized and developing countries, and higher levels of private participation, school choice and schools' competition are being promoted within educational systems. This article explores the origins of the PPPs in education idea and, specifically, what international organizations and through which mechanisms are promoting its global implementation. The article also highlights the weaknesses of the arguments and methodologies which underpin the policy prescriptions of the PPPs advocates and, in turn, raises an alternative research agenda based on the so-called 'realist evaluation' approach.