An Institutional Framework for Assessing Neoliberal Transformations in Indian Public Education: Governance, Privatization, and Learning Outcome Dynamics
Abstract
The transformation of public education in India under neoliberal policy regimes has generated complex institutional shifts in governance structures, schooling access, and learning outcome distribution. This study develops an institutional analytical framework to examine how neoliberal rationalities reshape public education through decentralization, privatization, and performative accountability mechanisms. Drawing upon critical education policy scholarship, the paper interrogates the intersection of state withdrawal, market-led schooling expansion, and governance-by-indicators that increasingly define educational decision-making. The study synthesizes empirical and theoretical insights from key works in education policy, political economy, and sociology of education to construct a multidimensional framework that captures institutional restructuring across macro, meso, and micro levels. The analysis reveals that neoliberal reforms have reconfigured the public education system into hybrid governance arrangements characterized by weakened state accountability, strengthened private actors, and intensified inequalities in access and learning outcomes. The paper argues that these transformations are not merely administrative adjustments but represent a deeper ideological shift in the purpose of education—from a public good to a commodified service. The study contributes to policy discourse by offering a structured framework for evaluating institutional change and its implications for equity, democratic governance, and educational justice in India
Keywords
Neoliberalism, Public Education, Institutional Framework, Privatization, Governance, Learning OutcomesHow to Cite
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