The power brokers of neoliberalism: Philanthrocapitalists and public education

Abstract

Since the 1970s business groups have staged the control of education, first in the form of partnerships with schools and universities to support science, math, and technology, and more recently in the form of venture philanthropy. This article examines how these business groups, including the “billionaire boys club” and their mega foundations, have become the power brokers of neoliberalism and have gained influential control over educational policies and other cultural spaces in the United States. Using the strategies of institutional capitalism, these venture philanthropies are using public money to lobby legislators and school districts to enact school choice friendly legislation, expand the proliferation of charter schools, and negatively shape social perceptions about public education.