The Europeanisation of Education Policy: Researching Changing Governance and ‘New’ Modes of Coordination

Abstract

This article explores how the European Union coordinates education policy making through the use of a mode of governance called the open method of coordination (OMC). Part One briefly presents and discusses the mechanisms of the education OMC and its key characteristics. Part Two draws on contemporary theories of Europeanisation and discourse analysis to provide a theoretical and methodological framework for researching the response of member states to this policy coordination. Member states of the European Union are not seen as passive recipients of policies from the European Commission and the Council of the European Union. Rather they engage in a complex process of selective adoption of policy measures that suit particular purposes, formulate various aspects of policy often in tension with other member states, and possibly reject those elements of policy that do not fit national priorities or timelines. Finally, the author briefly exemplifies these issues by operationalising key research questions around the issue of domestic response to the education OMC through a suggested research approach for the exploration of the process of Europeanisation of education policy. Part One. The Open Method of Coordination in Education

Economising education: From the silent revolution to rethinking education. A new moment of Europeanisation of education?

“…In the case of Portugal, both pathways are likely to have the effect of interrupting the previous course of bettering the welfare levels in education and closing up the gap between Portugal and the EU as expressed, for instance, by the several indicators and benchmarks of the strategic framework of E&T2020 (see Online Education and Training Monitor, 2014). 28 So, we find a very complex picture and many questions when we try to understand how European education policy and Europeanisation of national education policy relate to each other (Alexiadou, 2007;Cort, 2010).…”

The migrant worker factor in labour market policy reform

“…Notes 1. In the UK, responsibility for policy areas including education were devolved to the Scottish Executive and Welsh and Northern Ireland Assemblies in 1999 (Alexiadou, 2007 National Vocational Qualifications (1992) and publicly-funded Modern Apprenticeships (1994). 4.…”

Lost in Translation? A Case Study of Macao in Fabricating a European Education Space in Asia

“…The OMC is a 'soft tool', a 'soft law', a 'soft power', and a 'soft form of governance' (Lawn, 2006;Alexiadou, 2007;Rutkowski & Engel, 2010;Lawn & Grek, 2012), which creates the possibility of 'a new policy space' (Lawn & Grek, 2012), and contributes to the creation of a terrain of governance across Europe and possibly beyond. According to Dale (citied in Ozga et al, 2011, location 641), it was intended that the OMC would::…”