‘New' Philanthropy and Education Governance in Argentina and Brazil: A Comparative Network Ethnography

Governments and international organisations increasingly welcome philanthropic organisations’ ‘hands-on’ interventions in education policy. Rather than following traditional forms of charitable ‘giving’, philanthropic actors develop policy networks to circulate not only resources grounded in the private sector, but also values and practices. In this research, I analyse how philanthropy shapes education governance in Argentina and Brazil. Using network ethnography, I trace philanthropic organisations’ policy networks and analyse their ideas, values and ‘solutions’. This work reveals the tensions and implications of billionaires, multinationals, and private holdings’ economic and political power in influencing key areas of society, including education.