Microeconomics of Education and the Effect of Government Intervention: The Role of Classroom 2.0 in Facilitating the UK Government's Schools Policies

Abstract

While the concept of Classroom 2.0 has been around for over a decade, the concept of electronic and distance learning as a mode to improve education outcomes has existed ever since the first broadcast of television programs carrying educational content. The governments in the United Kingdom have always sought to intervene in education, whether this has been allowing schools to opt-out of local authority control with grant-maintained schools under Margaret Thatcher, co-operative trusts under Tony Blair, or free schools under David Cameron. Not all government interventions are as successful. Homogenized one-size-fits-all education based on catchment areas such as Comprehensive Schools and state-run projects like the UK e-University have been shown to lack the return on investment of Specialist and Independent Schools and the Open University. This chapter reviews some of the microeconomic models used by governments to intervene in the market for instructional services, including e-participation in education, namely Classroom 2.0. It also looks at some of the possibilities of Classroom 2.0 in education systems that have been affected by UK and respective devolved government's education policy.