Edited by Sam Hickey, Professor of Politics and Development, Global Development Institute, University of Manchester, UK, and Naomi Hossain, Research Fellow, Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, UK

Sam Hickey is Professor of Politics and Development in the Global Development Institute, University of Manchester, and Research Director of the DFID-UK-funded Effective States and Inclusive Development (ESID) Research Centre. His recent work on the politics of development has been published in African Affairs, Journal of Development Studies, and World Development. He has edited or co-edited six collections, including The Politics of Inclusive Development: Interrogating the Evidence (Oxford University Press, 2015, with Kunal Sen and Badru Bukenya).

Naomi Hossain is a political sociologist and Research Fellow at the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex. Her work focuses on the state-society relations that make pro-poor development possible, with a focus on the provision of food security, mass education, and social protection. She is the author of The Aid Lab: Understanding Bangladesh's Unexpected Success (OUP, 2017).

Khondoker Shakhawat Ali, ASA University, Bangladesh
Edward Ampratwum, University of Manchester, UK
Mohammed Awal, Ghana Center for Democratic Development, Ghana
Robert Cameron, University of Cape Town, South Africa
Chuong Chantha, Ministry of Education, Cambodia
Merilee S. Grindle, Harvard University, USA
Mirza M Hassan, BRAC University, Bangladesh
Sam Hickey, University of Manchester, UK
Ursula Hoadley, University of Cape Town, South Africa
Naomi Hossain, University of Sussex, UK
Md. Sajidul Islam, UNICEF Bangladesh
David Jackman, University of Manchester, UK
Tim Kelsall, Overseas Development Institute, UK
Sothy Khieng, Cambodia Development Resource Institute, Cambodia
Anne Mette Kjær, Aarhus University, Denmark
Brian Levy, John Hopkins University, US, and University of Cape Town, South Africa
Nansozi K. Muwanga, Makerere University, Uganda
Tieng Tek Muy, Cambodian Development Resource Institute, Cambodia
Vinothan Naidoo, University of Cape Town, South Africa
Franklin Oduro, Center for Democratic Development, Ghana
Lant Pritchett, Harvard University, USA
Muhammad Ashikur Rahman, University of Leicester, UK
Timothy P. Williams, University of Manchester, UK

"Scholars have for years lamented the scarcity of research on politics in education, especially in developing countries. Hickey and Hossain bring together a volume that makes a major contribution to filling that gap. Brimming with insights, both practical and theoretical, this book will be of keen interest to anyone concerned with the complex and contentious politics of improving education or enhancing public services generally" - Ben Ross Schneider, Ford International Professor, Department of Political Science, and Director, MIT Brazil Program, MIT, US

"This is a major contribution to the international literature on how politics shapes education policy and practice in developing countries. It unpacks the critical questions on current debates about the learning crisis that confronts education systems in developing countries and brings into sharp focus the centrality of political economy arguments in understanding the global learning crisis. Not only are the overall analysis and arguments presented in the book both novel and well informed, the book is vitally important and timely for analysts and researchers studying education reforms in developing countries." - Kwame Akyeampong, Professor of International Education and Development, Centre for International Education, University of Sussex, UK

"This excellent, well-researched, and wide ranging series of case studies sheds light on a key issue of our time, namely how to transform the political economy of education systems to enable learning for all." - Leon Tikly, Professor in Education, School of Education, University of Bristol, UK