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Eleven Citizenship education in international perspective: lessons from the UK and overseas

  • Ben Kisby and James Sloam
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Social Policy Review 23
This chapter is in the book Social Policy Review 23

Abstract

This chapter focuses specifically on ‘citizenship education’ in the UK and comparable countries. It discusses separately the programmes of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and also analyses the US, France and Germany. It views citizenship education in terms of promoting political participation in diverse, pluralistic societies. It points out that this is an international agenda, with the Council of Europe explicitly seeking to foster education for democratic citizenship and human rights. It explores the varied approaches to citizenship education in secondary schools within the countries of interest, and the chapter draws lessons from cross-national comparative discussion, principally with reference to four key pillars of good practice: political literacy, experiential learning, appropriate institutional structures and supply-side factors relating to the delivery of conventional politics. It argues that understanding citizenship education programmes in different countries serves governments well in policy learning, particularly given that there is no one recipe for national success and no ‘one size fits all’.

Abstract

This chapter focuses specifically on ‘citizenship education’ in the UK and comparable countries. It discusses separately the programmes of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and also analyses the US, France and Germany. It views citizenship education in terms of promoting political participation in diverse, pluralistic societies. It points out that this is an international agenda, with the Council of Europe explicitly seeking to foster education for democratic citizenship and human rights. It explores the varied approaches to citizenship education in secondary schools within the countries of interest, and the chapter draws lessons from cross-national comparative discussion, principally with reference to four key pillars of good practice: political literacy, experiential learning, appropriate institutional structures and supply-side factors relating to the delivery of conventional politics. It argues that understanding citizenship education programmes in different countries serves governments well in policy learning, particularly given that there is no one recipe for national success and no ‘one size fits all’.

Chapters in this book

  1. Front Matter i
  2. Contents iii
  3. Notes on contributors v
  4. Symposium on the Coalition government
  5. Conservative social policy: from conviction to coalition 7
  6. Something old and blue, or red, bold and new? Welfare reform and the Coalition government 25
  7. The Conservative Party and the ‘Big Society’ 45
  8. The age of responsibility: social policy and citizenship in the early 21st century 63
  9. Debating the ‘death tax’: the politics of inheritance tax in the UK 85
  10. The debate about public service occupational pension reform 103
  11. Welfare to work after the recession: from the New Deals to the Work Programme 127
  12. Lone parents and the Conservatives: anything new? 147
  13. A treble blow? Child poverty in 2010 and beyond 165
  14. The English NHS as a market: challenges for the Coalition government 185
  15. Education in international context
  16. Citizenship education in international perspective: lessons from the UK and overseas 211
  17. “You’re only going to get it if you really shout for it”: education dispute resolution in the 21st century in England 233
  18. A sin of omission: New Zealand’s export education industry and foreign policy 257
  19. Student security in the global education market 281
  20. Exporting policy: the growth of multinational education policy businesses and new policy ‘assemblages’ 303
  21. Index 323
https://doi.org/10.56687/9781847429094-012

Chapters in this book

  1. Front Matter i
  2. Contents iii
  3. Notes on contributors v
  4. Symposium on the Coalition government
  5. Conservative social policy: from conviction to coalition 7
  6. Something old and blue, or red, bold and new? Welfare reform and the Coalition government 25
  7. The Conservative Party and the ‘Big Society’ 45
  8. The age of responsibility: social policy and citizenship in the early 21st century 63
  9. Debating the ‘death tax’: the politics of inheritance tax in the UK 85
  10. The debate about public service occupational pension reform 103
  11. Welfare to work after the recession: from the New Deals to the Work Programme 127
  12. Lone parents and the Conservatives: anything new? 147
  13. A treble blow? Child poverty in 2010 and beyond 165
  14. The English NHS as a market: challenges for the Coalition government 185
  15. Education in international context
  16. Citizenship education in international perspective: lessons from the UK and overseas 211
  17. “You’re only going to get it if you really shout for it”: education dispute resolution in the 21st century in England 233
  18. A sin of omission: New Zealand’s export education industry and foreign policy 257
  19. Student security in the global education market 281
  20. Exporting policy: the growth of multinational education policy businesses and new policy ‘assemblages’ 303
  21. Index 323
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