In this open access volume, the editors identify the trajecto-ries and pat-terns displayed by education systems and investigate the causes of change from a global and historical perspective. The contributors argue that the emergence and de-velopment of educa-tion systems can be traced back to inherent national factors, as well as to the interna-tional diffusion of ideas.The research presented in this volume is a wide-ranging analysis and explana-tion of the dynamics of emergence, diffusion, and change in relation to state educa-tion systems. The chapters offer an empirical investigation into whether the global diffusion of West-ern-rational educational content and organizational forms occurs as expected by neoinstitu-tionalist theory, or whether culturally specific developmen-tal paths dominate in different parts of the world.The book will be of interest to students and researchers in various social science disci-plines, including social policy, education, sociology, political science, international relations, organizational the-ory, and economics.