A Gap in the Market? A consideration of market relations in teacher education

Abstract

Government policy for teacher education can be linked to policy developments in other sectors of the ‘public’ services. These can be understood as taking the form of a reconstruction of provision in an attempt to make it conform to a particular model of the market. In the paper we describe some of the key concepts, debates and issues concerning the political economy of markets. We identify likely problems and sources of tension and dysfunction which mark the points at which market failure might occur. These constitute areas which warrant further research in order to deepen our understanding of the impact on teacher education of the introduction of market principles.