Agustina Paglayan

Agustina Paglayan is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science and the School of Global Policy and Strategy at UC San Diego. She is also a non-resident fellow at the Center for Global Development and affiliated with the Policy Design and Evaluation Lab (PDEL). Her research focuses on the political economy of education and human capital, exploring how political systems influence education policies conducive to economic development.

Education:

• PhD in Political Science, Stanford University
• MA in Education Policy, Stanford University
• MPP, Georgetown University
• Licenciatura en Economia, Universidad de San Andres, Argentina

Research Interests:

• Political economy of education and human capital
• Democracy vs. authoritarianism dynamics in education systems
• Historical origins of mass education
• Policy design and evaluation

Notable Work: Her 2024 book Raised to Obey: The Rise and Spread of Mass Education challenges conventional views on education's origins, arguing that mass schooling emerged as a tool for political control rather than democratic ideals or industrialization needs. This work has been featured in media outlets like The Economist and NPR.

Affiliations & Activities:

• Consultant for UN, World Bank, and Inter-American Development Bank
• Founding President (2020–21) of the APSA Education Politics and Policy Section
• Teaches courses on political institutions, American politics, and quantitative methods