Includes bibliographical references and index.

"Compared to other policy areas like health care, education is a relatively empty policy area because the beneficiaries--students and families, and business--are not politically active or relevant. This emptiness allows reform opponents like teacher unions and clientelist politicians to have greater impact, as well as pro-reform groups like civil society, policy networks and technocrats. Governments that managed to overhaul teacher careers took either a bottom-up electoral route (Chile and Ecuador) or a top-down technocratic route (Peru and Colombia). In other cases, machine unions (Mexico) or clientelist politicians (state of Rio de Janeiro) overturned career reforms."-- Provided by publisher.

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