Personal profile
Biography
Dr. Will Brehm's research interrogates how comparative and international education intersects with international relations and the political economy of development, focused primarily on the Mekong sub-region of Southeast Asia. In his research, he has explored issues of educational privatization, regional identity making, community-based education, and the politics of knowledge production. He is author of Cambodia for Sale (Routledge 2021) and co-editor of Public Policy Innovation for Human Capital Development (APO 2020), Memory in the Mekong (Teachers College Press 2022), and Education and Power in Southeast Asia (Routledge 2023).
Dr. Brehm is also known for the podcast he created and hosts called FreshEd. The podcast focuses on new educational research and is a valuable teaching resource used in over 100 universities, reaching an audience in over 180 countries. Episodes have been downloaded over 1 million times.
Research Areas:
- The history of the field of comparative and international education.
- Shadow education (also known as private supplementary tutoring) in Cambodia.
- Regional identity in the Mekong sub-region of Southeast Asia.
- International Institutions within global education policy.
- Podcasting as pedagogy in higher education.
- Alterantive schools in the Australian Capital Territory.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 4 Quality Education
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Projects
- 1 Active
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NSR: Navigating System Reform: ACT Principals' Leadership, Agency, and Collaboration in Times of Change
BREHM, W. (CI), Chapman, E. (CoI) & Vaughan, S. (CoI)
11/02/26 → 30/11/26
Project: Research
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After Farce: Why Education Financing Needs an Honest Reckoning
Brehm, W., 2026, Norrag Blog.Research output: Contribution to Newspaper/Magazine/Bulletin › Article
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Bill Shorten’s university proposal breaks the deadlock – but design will decide its value
Brehm, W. & Spies-Butcher, B., 19 Mar 2026, Pearls and Irritations, p. 1-3 3 p.Research output: Contribution to Newspaper/Magazine/Bulletin › Article
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Border crisis exposes Cambodia’s murky political economy
Brehm, W., 2026, East Asia Forum, p. 1-3 3 p.Research output: Contribution to Newspaper/Magazine/Bulletin › Article
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Comparative and International Education Research in an Era of Digital Acceleration, Democratic Backsliding, and Ecological Collapse
Kubow, P., Silova, I., Brehm, W. & Mifsud, L., 2026, In: Nordic Journal of Comparative and International Education . 10, 1, p. 1-12 12 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Other Journal Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Reverse Transitologies in Comparative Education: Pedagogies of Unbelonging Under the Taliban
Brehm, W., Mirbacha, P. & Miri, M. A., 2026, In: Comparative Education Review. 70, 2, p. 1-21 21 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Activities
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50 Years of ACT Education: From Revolutionary Beginnings to Centralised Control
BREHM, W. (Speaker)
15 Nov 2025Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
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After Farce: What Comes Next for Education Financing
BREHM, W. (Speaker)
11 Nov 2025Activity: Talk or presentation › Oral presentation
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‘More for Less’? Transforming Education Systems through the Wall Street Consensus
BREHM, W. (Speaker)
11 Nov 2025Activity: Talk or presentation › Oral presentation
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Podcasting Knowledge: Methodological Insights from 10 years of FreshEd
BREHM, W. (Speaker)
19 Sept 2025Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk