Knowledge production and education policy

Knowledge production and education policy

My main focus of research is to examine the relationship between the state, public policy and knowledge production. I am interested in the knowledges, knowings, knowers, and knowledgabilities, and how and why those within government institutions invite into policy those who are regarded as in-the-know.

I have explored this in a range of funded (British Academy, ESRC) projects, and here is an overview:

Strategic outputs about policy and knowledge: 

Carrasco, A. and Gunter, H.M. (2019) The ‘private’ in the privatization of schools: the case of Chile. Educational Review. 71 (1), 67-80. 

Gunter, H.M. (2023) A Political Sociology of Education Policy. Bristol: Policy Press.

Gunter, H.M. (2020) Thinking politically with Arendt: depoliticised privatism and education policy. In: Veck, W. and Gunter, H.M. (eds) Hannah Arendt on Educational Thinking and Practice in Dark Times: Education for a World in Crisis. London: Bloomsbury. 79-166.

Gunter, H.M. (2018) The Politics of Public Education: Reform Ideas and Issues. Bristol: Policy Press.

Gunter, H.M. (2018) Depoliticisation and education policy. In: Wilkinson, J., Niesche, R. and Eacott, S. (eds) Challenges for Public Education London: Routledge. 87-100.

Gunter, H.M. (2016) An Intellectual History of School Leadership Practice and Research. London: Bloomsbury Press.

Gunter, H.M. (2014) Educational Leadership and Hannah Arendt. Abingdon: Routledge.

Gunter, H.M. (2012) Leadership and the Reform of Education. Bristol: The Policy Press.

Gunter, H.M. (ed) (2011) The State and Education Policy: the Academies Programme. London: Continuum.

Gunter, H.M. and Courtney, S.J. (2023) The end of education policy? Soundings. 83 (5), 74-89.

Gunter, H.M. and Courtney, S.J. (2023) Policy mortality and UK government education policy for schools in England, British Journal of Educational Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/00071005.2023.2193066

Gunter, H.M. and Forrester, G. (2010) New Labour and the logic of practice in educational reform. Critical Studies in Education. 51 (1), 1-15.

Gunter, H.M. and Forrester, G. (2009) Institutionalised Governance: the case of the National College for School Leadership. International Journal of Public Administration. 32 (5), 349-369. 

Gunter, H.M. and Forrester, G. (2009) School Leadership and Policymaking in England. Policy Studies 31 (5), 495-511.

Gunter, H.M. and Forrester, G. (2008) New Labour and School Leadership 1997-2007. British Journal of Educational Studies. 55 (2), 144-162.

Gunter, H.M. and Hughes, B.C. (2023) The education reform claimocracy and the academisation and MATification of schools in England. Forum. 64 (3), 21-31.

Gunter, H.M., Raffo, C., Hall, D., Dyson, A., Jones, L. and Kalambouka, A. (2010) Policy and the policy process. In: Raffo, C., Dyson, A., Gunter, H.M, Hall, D., Jones, L. and Kalambouka, A. (eds) Education and Poverty in Affluent Countries. London: Routledge. 163-176.

Gunter, H.M. and Rayner, S.M. (2021) ‘The next big thing’: a delineation of ‘fads’ and ‘fashions’. In: English, F. (EdD) The Palgrave Handbook of Educational Leadership and Management Discourse. Basingstoke: PalgraveMacmillan. 1-17.

Gunter, H.M., Grimaldi, E., Hall, D. and Serpieri, R. (eds) (2016) New Public Management and the Reform of Education: European Lessons for Policy and Practice. London: Routledge.

Gunter, H.M., Hall, D. and Apple, M. (eds) (2017) Corporate Elites and the Reform of Public Education. Bristol: Policy Press.

Rayner, S.M., Courtney, S.J. and Gunter, H.M. (2017) Theorising systemic change: learning from the academisation project in England. Journal of Education Policy. 33 (1), 143-162.

Ribbins, P., Bates, R. and Gunter, H.M. (2003) Reviewing research in education in Australia and the UK: evaluating the evaluations. Journal of Educational Administration, 41 (4), 423-444.

Smyth, J. and Gunter, H.M. (2009) Debating New Labour Education Policy. In: Chapman, C. and Gunter, H.M. (eds) Radical Reforms: Public Policy and a Decade of Educational Reform. London: Routledge. 182-195.

van den Berg, C., Howlett, M., Gunter, H.M. Howard, M., Migone, A., Pemer, F. (2020) Policy Consultancy in Comparative Perspective: Patterns, Nuances and Implications for the Contractor State. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.


This research has generated a particular focus on policy actors:

Gunter, H.M. (2020) Consultancy in the UK government: modernising privatism. In: van den Berg, C., Howlett, M., Gunter, H.M. Howard, M., Migone, A., Pemer, F. Policy Consultancy in Comparative Perspective: Patterns, Nuances and Implications for the Contractor State. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 20-51.

Gunter, H.M. (2017) Consultants and policy formulation. In: Howlett, M., and Mukerjee, I. (eds) Handbook of Policy Formulation. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishers. 337-351.

Gunter, H.M. (2017) Corporate consultancy practices in education services in England. In: Gunter, H.M., Hall, D. and Apple, M. (eds) Corporate Elites and the Reform of Public Education. Bristol: Policy Press. 147-160.

Gunter, H.M. (2012) Intellectual work and knowledge production. Fitzgerald, T., White, J., and Gunter, H.M. Hard labour? Academic Work and the Changing Landscape of Higher Education. Bingley: Emerald. pp: 23-40.

Gunter, H.M. (2012) Academic work and performance. Fitzgerald, T., White, J., and Gunter, H.M. Hard labour? Academic Work and the Changing Landscape of Higher Education. Bingley: Emerald. pp: 65-85.

Gunter, H.M., Hall, D. and Mills, C. (2015) Consultants, consultancy and consultocracy in education policymaking in England. Journal of Education Policy. 30 (4), 518-539.

Gunter, H.M. and Mills, C. (2017) Consultants and Consultancy: the Case of Education. Cham, Switzerland: Springer.

Gunter, H.M. and Mills, C. (2016) Knowledge Production and the rise of consultocracy in education policymaking in England. In: Verger, A., Lubienski, C. and Steiner-Khamsi, G. (eds) World Yearbook of Education 2016: The Global Education Industry. London: Routledge. 125-141.