An education policy is formulated in a certain social environment, which is shaped by several contextual factors. To be able to drive processes effectively to their limits, policymakers need to be aware of these factors to understand the context in which they operate. In this chapter we discuss some of the contextual factors mentioned in the literature as challenging educational structures and affecting the functioning of educational systems, including: (a) economic and demographic aspects of the state, (b) features of political culture regarding stability and degree of corruption of the political system, and (c) aspects of national culture and social cohesion.