No abstract

Since the mid-1990s, there has been an abrupt growth of doctoral enrollments and doctoral programs in Argentina and Latin America. However, completion rates at this education level are far from satisfying. Attrition rates in  Social Sciences doctoral programs “are known” to be high, and higher in Social Sciences and Humanities (which will be later called “Soft Sciences”) than in STEM (which will be later called “Hard Sciences”) disciplines, although there are no valid and reliable data. In order to address this problem, we carried out an investigation with two objectives: (1) to measure performance (efficiency or productivity) in 18 doctoral programs in STEM disciplines, the Social Sciences, and Humanities at various universities in Buenos Aires city and the surrounding Metropolitan Area; and (2) to design a procedure for collecting valid and reliable information that would allow us to assess doctoral programs' performance. This measure was defined along two dimensions: completion rates (regular time rates and extra time rates) and average time-to-degree by cohort. We compiled data on individuals' academic tracks in each cohort from their enrollment to their completion or dropout by using paper-files and digitized databases provided by academic departments. Information was analyzed by program, by cohort, and by six grouped cohorts for 2001-2006. Substantive and methodological results were found. Among the substantive results, we discovered better performance in STEM disciplines than in the Social Sciences and Humanities. As to the methodological results, postgraduate statistical registering matrix was designed and a series of recommendations are presented for use by doctoral programs and graduate programs generally.

Purpose New philanthropy develops new forms of policy “problem-solving” through the influx of private actors’ money and ideas. It adopts singular configurations across different policy spaces, with implications for education governance. We address this phenomenon by analyzing the Varkey Foundation's (VF) “landing” and “expansion” in Latin America. VF is a global philanthropic organization registered in the United Kingdom in 2011 with a main hub in Argentina, where it landed in 2017. Design/Approach/Methods We use network ethnography to examine the influence of new philanthropy on education governance as this phenomenon demands new methods to grasp the “realities” of governing beyond conventional ways and understanding policy mobilities. Findings Results indicate how VF “landed” in a little pro-market space via productive uses of policy networks. The second phase of data collection and analysis presents further consolidation of VF in Argentina, its expansion into Latin America, and its establishment as a legitimate education policy actor. Originality/Value This study provides new evidence and insights into how policy networks enable new philanthropy to land and consolidate within national boundaries and, later, across the region as a legitimate actor in education.

Las alianzas multisectoriales en educación surgen como arreglos colaborativos con variados grados de formalización institucional e involucran a distintos actores (gobiernos, sector privado y la sociedad civil) y a una vasta cantidad de actores. La Declaración de Incheon (2015) reconoce la participación de actores no estatales a la vez que remarca la ineludible obligación de los Estados como principales garantes del derecho a la educación para alcanzar el Objetivo de Desarrollo Sostenible 4. El desarrollo de estas alianzas comprende propósitos diversos, tales como instalar una causa educativa en la agenda pública de un país, brindar apoyo técnico en la implementación de una política o construir sistemas de monitoreo de resultados. Con la mirada puesta en el largo plazo y en la colaboración entre sectores, esta investigación ofrece una lente analítica que surge del estudio de experiencias concretas. Esta lente permite abordar los principales factores contextuales y endógenos que hacen a su funcionamiento, sus desafíos y oportunidades, así como también sus desafíos y oportunidades. Se espera que tomadores de decisiones en gobiernos, organizaciones de la sociedad civil, sector privado y otros sectores encuentren inspiración y herramientas para fortalecer las políticas educativas de la región y colaborar de forma estratégica y lograr una mayor justicia educativa.