Questioning the rhetoric: A critical analysis of intergovernmental organisations’ entrepreneurship education policy

Abstract

Entrepreneurship education is increasingly prominent in university and school curricula worldwide, following its intensive advocacy by intergovernmental organisations and national governments as a remedy for the urgent pressures to better prepare students for today’s globalised and highly competitive workplace. This study analyses the official policy documents of two of the most influential intergovernmental organisations – the European Union and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development – in a quest to understand how each of these organisations presents and promotes entrepreneurship education. We argue that while the rationales and problems the European Union and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development address regarding entrepreneurship education differ somewhat, the two organisations propose a very similar solution for entrepreneurship education implementation, occasionally even advocated through formal collaboration between the two intergovernmental organisations. We suggest that this collaboration exemplifies how intergovernmental organisations seek to govern in line with a globally dominant logic by providing universal, de-contextualised solutions to various problems. We build on previous studies on other policies these intergovernmental organisations advocated (e.g. quality education and modernisation of higher education) to learn about the nuances of such policy moves. We conclude by suggesting a critical understanding of such policy convergences and outlining recommendations for future research.