The Power of the Pen: Do Poets, Fiction Literature, and Culture Affect the Politics of (Education) Policy-Making?

Abstract Culture is neglected or downplayed in the political economy and public policy literature in general and the politics of education literature in particular. An important recent book by Cathie Jo Martin—Education for All? Literature, Culture, and Education Development in Britain and Denmark—sets out to change this by studying the role of fiction literature and fiction writers in education policy-making in Britain and Denmark from 1700 until today. Education for all? highlights that and how fiction and fiction writers have played an important role in the politics of education and offers both quantitative text-analysis evidence and historical case studies to demonstrate the power of the pen. This article discusses Martin's crucial contribution, aiming to help contribute to develop a systematic research agenda on the role of culture in the politics of (education) policy. Among other things, the review develops a new typology of different kinds of cultural influences and sets out several avenues for future research.