Education versus austerity. Why public sector wage bill constraints undermine teachers

This brief provides a synthesis of the key findings of the report "The Public Versus Austerity" as applied to education. The brief challenges the IMF’s routine recommendation of public sector wage bill constraints which have a disproportionate impact on teachers who are the largest group of public sector workers in most countries. The brief draws evidence from 15 countries and shows that there is no clear logic or rationale for the use of wage bill constraints – and yet they have a devastating impact on progress towards globally agreed education goals.