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Ken Spours 2026
Marxist Socio-Political Ecosystem Thinking
Welcome to the Ken Spours 2026 website, where you will find his current political & theoretical work, academic research and publications. The organising title of Marxist Socio-Political Ecosystem Thinking reflects a dialectical relationship between new approaches to Marxist theory and Social Ecosystem Thinking.
Neo-Gramscian Theory - involves a comprehensive reinterpretation of the foundational theoretical work of 20th-century Italian Marxist and communist - Antonio Gramsci - to produce a multi-dimensional political-economy 'toolkit' - Gramsci 2.0. - in the contexts of neoliberal global polycrisis and the rise of 21st-century fascism.
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Socio-Political Ecosystem Thinking - focuses on the conceptualisation of inter-dependent and synergistic relationships in the age of the Anthropocene to produce progressive ways of thinking about sustainable, democratic and socially just approaches to socio-political ecosystem building.
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This relational counter-hegemonic praxis (theory and practice) is represented by six related collections, in which a dialectic relationship between these two foundational theoretical elements - Neo-Gramscian Theory and Socio-Political Ecosystem Thinking - is applied to Ken's current areas of intellectual activity.
Socialised Systems of Generative Artificial Intelligence - conceptualizing socialised systems of GenAI as progressive alternatives to dominant Platform and Computational Capitalist models.
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Progressive Political Praxis - conjunctural analyses of dominant Right hegemony, including the emergence of Right national populism (21st-century fascism), and the challenges of constructing viable democratic Left hegemonic projects.
21st Century Vocational Education and Training (VET) - analysis of the systemic problems of neoliberal models of VET and perspectives on new models of vocational learning in response to global mega trends that include climate, demography and AI.
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Dialectical Cosmology - an experimental area of enquiry in which a new Historical Materialist/ Complex Dialectical Method is applied to understanding the evolution of our universe, leading to the idea of an ultimate human cosmic responsibility to 'best know the cosmos'.
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You will also find some current political commentary on the Home Page, and also an additional page on Ken's abiding love of the Durham Dales in the Northern Pennines.
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Topics in the six collections can be accessed by clicking on the top menu or the topic titles below.
2. Socio-Political Ecosystem Thinking
Social Ecosystem Models 1.0 & 2.0
45-Degree Socio-Political Framework 2.0
45-Degree Mediation
Just Transition Social Ecosystem
Progressive Temporal Model
3. Socialised Generative Artificial Intelligence
Socialised GenAI systems
5. 21st Century Vocational Education and Training (VET)
The Decline of English VET
Chinese VET Reforms
Global mega trends - implications for VET
Africa VET 4.0
4. Strategic Political Praxis
Studies of the Political Right - UK Conservatism & global fascism
Building a Democratic Left Hegemonic Project
A Just Transition Social Ecosystem
6. Dialectical Cosmology
Crisis of the Standard Model
Cyclical cosmology and our universe
The Cosmological Structural Intellect
Quantum dialectics
Beyond theism and determinism
Ken Spours
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Dr Ken Spours is Distinguished Visiting Professor and International Scholar at Capital Normal University, Beijing, Honorary Professor at Tianjin University of Education and Technology, and Professor Emeritus of Post Compulsory Education at the UCL Institute of Education.
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Ken's political and theoretical outlook can be best described as Neo-Gramscian, with its focus on applying modern Marxist theory and Socio-Political Ecosystem Thinking to the challenges of progressive transitioning to fairer, more democratic and sustainable futures.
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He is also an Associate of the democratic left think tank and pressure group Compass. Building a Good Society and Chair of the UK charity Friends of Amani, Tanzania, that supports mentally disabled children and their families in Morogoro, Tanzania.
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Ken lives in Enfield Chase with his partner Shirley. He is a proud dad to Joe, Will, Lucy and Katy and an equally proud grandad to Jessie, Sadie and Sonny.
He also spends part of his time at their little holiday home in Bollihope, Weardale - a wild and beautiful part of England dear to his heart and from where he can also visit the Stadium of Light.​ Ken is a supporter of Sunderland AFC - 'Ha'way the Lads'.​
(+44) 07940 544408
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​​Current political notes
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​​​The New Mainstream: Radical realism to unite a fractured Labour Party and a divided nation
Ken Spours, 24 September, 2025​​
​​​​This blog published by Compass argues that Labour factionalism always leads to political failure and that the new initiative and movement 'Mainstream' can help reunite Labour and provide a dynamic platform to defeat the Far Right. The blog also contains a brief analysis of Mainstream as an alliance-based idea and strategy.​​
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2025-26 publications
Paul Grainger and Ken Spours. 2026
The decline of England’s vocational/ lifelong learning system and Labour’s challenges
(upcoming chapter in Routledge volume on the Principles and Purposes of VET)
Zeying Cheng, Shuhan Huang & Ken Spours. 2026.
China’s current VET reforms. Developments and challenges in a politically co-ordinated model
​(upcoming chapter in Routledge volume on the Principles and Purposes of VET)
Ken Spours. 2025.
Transitioning to socialised systems of generative artificial intelligence and the role of technological organic intellectuals
MDPI journal Systems - 13(11), 944. https://doi.org/10.3390/systems13110944
Liying Rong, Zhen Zhong and Ken Spours. 2025.
Exploring evolving ‘problem spaces’ of large language models: mediation relationships between users and the new technology in teaching and research in Chinese higher education - forthcoming journal article
Ken Spours. 2025.
National Populism and the Political Three-Body Problem. Compass publications
Ken Spours. 2025.
Social Ecosystem Thinking 2.0.
Redrafted Stimulus Paper of the Workshop on 'Skills Ecosystems and the Just Transition'. Witwatersrand University, Johannesburg, 20-24 November 2023.
'An English Education Revolution' (2011)
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This TED talk focused on the 'revolutionary' idea that English education should be free from ministerial political interference. Delivered in the aftermath of the Gove/Cummings 2010 Tory Education Act and New Labour's top-down managerial governance approach, it suggested that treating education like a 'political football' should be replaced by a 'partnership covenant' between governments and the education profession. Only this kind of collaboration can usher in a new era of both policy stability and innovation. While this message was delivered 15 years ago it remains highly relevant today as we think about ways of rebuilding an education system undermined by Conservative government policy and austerity and, more recently, the Labour Government's policy hesitancy and lack of vision.
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