Two Contexts
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Bronwen Cohen
Abstract
Before examining the reform process in each of our three countries, we examine here the different contexts in which these changes have taken place. Policies and institutions do not drop out of the sky; to some extent they are formed and reformed, in part at least, by structural conditions: the evolving social and political features that characterise a given society. Structural conditions provide the national, macro-level contexts for reforms, and vary over time and between countries.
In this chapter we analyse four broad contextual dimensions: the people and the economy; welfare regimes; government; and understandings of children. We have tried, where possible, to treat England and Scotland separately, though in some cases separate information is not available. The importance of the contextual dimensions will become apparent when we turn, in the following chapters, to consider the reform process and why it took the course it did in each country. Apart from contributing to the interpretation of national processes of reform and to understandings of cross-national similarities and differences, such contextual analyses caution against over-simplified ideas about the possibility of transferring policy and practice from one country to another. Without the right contextual conditions, policies do not travel well – indeed they may not be able to travel at all.
Enduring structural characteristics provide a context that helps to explain long-term continuities in national policies, spanning even periods of government by different political parties. Policy formation is not just a matter of assembling evidence and inferring from it what works, nor are policies influenced only by vested interests and other party political considerations.
Abstract
Before examining the reform process in each of our three countries, we examine here the different contexts in which these changes have taken place. Policies and institutions do not drop out of the sky; to some extent they are formed and reformed, in part at least, by structural conditions: the evolving social and political features that characterise a given society. Structural conditions provide the national, macro-level contexts for reforms, and vary over time and between countries.
In this chapter we analyse four broad contextual dimensions: the people and the economy; welfare regimes; government; and understandings of children. We have tried, where possible, to treat England and Scotland separately, though in some cases separate information is not available. The importance of the contextual dimensions will become apparent when we turn, in the following chapters, to consider the reform process and why it took the course it did in each country. Apart from contributing to the interpretation of national processes of reform and to understandings of cross-national similarities and differences, such contextual analyses caution against over-simplified ideas about the possibility of transferring policy and practice from one country to another. Without the right contextual conditions, policies do not travel well – indeed they may not be able to travel at all.
Enduring structural characteristics provide a context that helps to explain long-term continuities in national policies, spanning even periods of government by different political parties. Policy formation is not just a matter of assembling evidence and inferring from it what works, nor are policies influenced only by vested interests and other party political considerations.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- Acknowledgements iv
- List of abbreviations v
- Glossary of terms vii
-
International comparisons of social and educational reforms: background and contexts
- Introduction 3
- Contexts 17
-
Bringing childcare services into education
- England 47
- Scotland 89
- Sweden 135
-
A comparative overview and future directions
- Cross-national comparisons 181
- Endnotes 201
- References 213
- Fieldwork 227
- Index 231
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- Acknowledgements iv
- List of abbreviations v
- Glossary of terms vii
-
International comparisons of social and educational reforms: background and contexts
- Introduction 3
- Contexts 17
-
Bringing childcare services into education
- England 47
- Scotland 89
- Sweden 135
-
A comparative overview and future directions
- Cross-national comparisons 181
- Endnotes 201
- References 213
- Fieldwork 227
- Index 231
