Jane Jacobs, more noted as an urban planning visionary, started taking a hard look at institutions, including education and the role of credentialing. Her book The Dark Age Ahead is (as you might suspect) a dark vision of the future:

http://www.powells.com/biblio/2-9781400062324-3

She addressed the topic in an essay, "Credentialing vs. Education": http://www.vqronline.org/articles/2004/spring/jacobs-credent...