This open access book explores how policy makers draw on national, regional and international expertise in issuing school reform within five Nordic countries. In an era of international comparison, policy makers are expected to review best practices, learn from experiences from elsewhere, and apply international standards propelled by international organizations. Do they do so What counts, for them, as evidence and expertise? The chapters draw methodologically on bibliometric data, network analysis, document analysis and expert interviews. They show compellingly how governments use evidence strategically and selectively for agenda setting and policy decisions. This book will be of interest and value to scholars of education policy, specifically within the Nordic region, and international and comparative education.
Introduction: A Comparative Network Analysis of Knowledge Use in Nordic
Education Policies.- What is in a Reference? Theoretically Understanding the
Uses of Evidence in Education Policy.- Exploring the Architecture of Policy
Knowledge: A Methodological Note.- Policy Borrowing and Evidence in Danish
Education Policy Preparation. The Case of the Danish Public School Reform of
2013.- Evidence and Expert Power in Finnish Education Policy Making: The
20102016 National Core Curriculum Reform.- The Irregular Formation of State
Policy Documents in the Icelandic Field of Education 20132017.- Structuring
School Reform Policy With Evidence: The Inter-Mediational Role of Knowledge
Sources and Arguments.- The Complexity of Context in Legitimating National
School Reforms: The Case of Sweden.-
1. Evidence-based Policymaking in Nordic Countries: Different Settings,
Different Practices?.- How Much is Policy Advice Changed and Lost in
Political Translation?.- The OECD and the Field of Knowledge Brokers in
Danish, Finnish, and Icelandic Education Policy.- Regional Policy Spaces,
Knowledge Networks and the Nordic Other.- On Evidence, Impact, and Layers
in Education Policy Processes.- Evidence-Based Policy Making and Educational
Reform in Nordic Europe: Main contributions of the POLNET Study.- Conclusion:
Toward a Renewed Understanding of Evidence-Based Policy in Education.
Berit Karseth is Professor in the Department of Education at University of Oslo, Norway. Her main research interests and publications lie in the fields of education policy, reforms, and curriculum studies.
Kirsten Sivesind is Associate Professor in the Department of Education at the University of Oslo, Norway. Beyond her academic discipline of curriculum theory, her research focuses on comparative policy analysis and the history of educational ideas and reform.
Gita Steiner-Khamsi is Professor of Comparative and International Education at Teachers College, Columbia University, USA. Her research interests focus on policy borrowing, comparative policy studies, public-private partnerships in education, and comparative methodology.
