The knowledge economy and lifelong learning: A critical reader

Abstract

What I found very interesting when I was reviewing this reader was that the title of the book runs across the entire volume in terms of content and its relevance to different dimensions of lifelong learning. This has been excellently done, and concepts of the Knowledge Economy (KE) are applied to different but related contexts of the lifelong learning agenda. The reader begins with a general introduction, where the authors define the key terms which run across the book. The authors beautifully discuss distinctions between the knowledge society and the knowledge economy. I cannot agree more with these sentiments. Accreditation of prior knowledge is very crucial and indeed at the heart of adult education with production as a field of study and legacy. The general introduction is followed by two sections, subdivided into 15 individual chapters, and a conclusion. Section one, entitled General Critiques, provides justification for economic productivity and demand for people with the highest accumulated knowledge. The most qualified are often not rewarded accordingly. An interesting aspect of the first chapter is that it provides in a trendy fashion a historical overview of the KE, and quotes major landmarks such as the advent of capitalism, the industrial revolution, intellectual property, science, research and development. I concur with the authors that the newness of production does not discount old and lifelong ways of knowledge production. Chapter 2, Warhurst and Thompson’s Mapping knowledge in work: Proxies or practices?, presents knowledge as used and gathered in ICT, research and development, and defined in qualifications, occupation and skills applications. While these proxies are commonly used in workplaces, their measures are problematic. For instance, it is hard to quantify different types of knowledge,