Trade in Education Services : Market Opportunities and Risks

This article describes the educational service market, the key actors in this field be they importers or exporters and discusses the market opportunities and risks for countries interested in taking an active role and share of this growing market. The first part provides some general observations on economic and developmental importance of the sector and discusses the important structural changes that have taken place in the market for education services globally. Following from this, the second part reviews the key trends in the internationalization of education services from a trade perspective, the factors behind the growth and the role played by international trade agreements. The third part examines the main barriers to trade in education services as well as the competing interests and tensions that underlie the internationalization of education services