Local and international educational systems are being increasingly scrutinized by a global society that does not merely endorse self-interest motives and self-serving actions but rather seeks to advance the wellbeing of all humanity. In this context, new and alternative approaches regarding the way education is imparted as well as it is evaluated, are becoming more relevant. Accordingly, this study’s central concepts are education and the sustainability of social development.
As a preamble, chapter I addresses a theoretical and critical approach to the study’s core conceptions. Subsequently, chapter II identifies the main political economy and social constraints for the enhancement of human capability in the Korean educational context. Chapter III focuses on the analysis and evaluation of the collected data, which has provided the base evidence to answer the research question: How effectively is education helping sustain social development? Lastly, chapter IV presents conclusions and insights for further studies in the field.
New empirical evidence on the topics was gathered throughout comparative field research in the educational environment of Korean Graduate Schools of International Studies, where current actors and futures leaders are being educated. The proven hypothesis was: Academic experience and educational institutions’ arrangements are not effectively contributing to the sustainability of social development.
Rather than introducing a fixed approach to assess education, this study has intended to offer initial systematic data concerning the causal relationship between education and the sustainability of social development. In the words of the Sen, Stiglitz, and Fitoussi’s Commission (2010):
A long philosophical tradition views individuals as the best judges of their own conditions. This approach is closely linked to the utilitarian tradition but has a broader appeal due to the strong presumption in many streams of ancient and modern culture that enabling people to be “happy” and “satisfied” with their life is a universal goal of human existence. (p. 42).
