Abstract

This article examines Western and Chinese discourses of education, sustainable growth and development. Education is increasingly considered as a means to fuel economic growth, especially since the 1980s, when conservative economic values became predominant in Western development thought. Despite a discourse on sustainability favouring ecologically sound and equitable growth, education is increasingly economy-centred. Through analysis of China’s market-based socialism, its development path, and the expansion of its Africa cooperation, this article seeks to demonstrate that the China-proposed development and education models are very similar to the Western growth-based development paradigm, although the discourse is different.

Citation

Nordtveit, B.H. Western and Chinese development discourses: Education, growth and sustainability. International Journal of Educational Development, 29(2), 157-165. Elsevier Ltd. Retrieved January 26, 2021 from https://www.learntechlib.org/p/196514/.

Keywords

• Aid
• Beijing Consensus
• Economic Growth
• education
• sustainability
• Washington Consensus