I am going to outline three core concepts of development economics – appropriate technology, good governance, and the brain drain – that are immediately applicable to the field of education and education policy.
In a previous life, I was a going to be a development economist. I studied it in college, joined the Peace Corps and served two years in Benin, in French-speaking West Africa. After, though disillusioned with the hypocrisies of the profession, I flirted with various jobs in the United Nations orbit here in NYC before discovering my passion for teaching and education.
Development economics has a very mixed history: much of it has failed to develop anything. Some of it is suspected to be a form of modern colonialism. Worst, there are a lot of fads and bizarre agendas. (Sound familiar?)
But, there are a few lessons from development economics that education needs to hear:
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Appropriate technology:
Well-meaning donors in the 1960s would send high tech tractors to developing countries. When a gear shift would break, it would take upwards of a year to get the tractor up and working again, since the repair parts were halfway around the world; the farmers would just return to traditional techniques with a rusting tractor in the way. The appropriate technology approach is to create tools that are appropriate to the setting: highly efficient wood-burning ovens, bicycle-powered water pumps, and small solar lights, for example. Many of the solutions were cool, small-scale, and great business.
Application to education: A school leader I am friends with opened a closet and showed me a dusty pile of brand-new, never-used PalmPilots, reminding me of the rusty tractor. We put way too much effort into trying to get the latest innovations into the classroom. (I’m talking to you, AI education startups!) Pop Quiz: What is the most successful single piece of education technology? Answer: The Texas Instruments calculators. Hardly cutting edge, but very appropriate to the setting. Entrepreneurs should take notice.
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Good governance:
My economics professor and mentor’s favorite story was about a scheme to improve the driver’s licensing system in Bangladesh, which was plagued with corruption. The UN suggested adding observers to the road test to prevent bribery. The result? Now the student had to bribe the tester AND the observer, doubling the inefficiency. Development economists focused on bureaucracy that was transparent and simple, which is an artful balance.
Application to education: There is too much paperwork. It stifles creative teachers and does nothing to prevent shady behavior. Nobody in academia ever talks about corruption in education; it is a frequent topic of discussion among actual teachers. Technology (“information technology”) could really help with this problem, but administrators and governments need to take the lead on this. Three words of advice: simplify, simplify, simplify.
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Brain drain:
This term was first coined by politicians in post-war Europe, describing the flight of top scientists to the United States. Development economists noticed that many of the most educated, talented people in a developing nation would leave. There was also talk of an internal brain drain: talented people would be concentrated in charitable work rather than in politics or in the private sector.
Application to education: Too many smart, motivated teachers leave. If they stay in education, they migrate to administration and fields that serve administration. We need to create policies that keep very talented teachers in the classroom, where the students will benefit the most.