New Public Management in Educational Reform in Norway

Abstract

The article focuses on the similarities and differences in using new public management (NPM) administrative arrangements in educational policy as they have been presented in the educational reform process carried out this millennium by two governments in Norway: the Centre–Conservative government and the current Red–Green coalition government. First, key elements in the reform process are identified. The methods applied are selective studies of documents and speeches by policy actors (ministers), and an examination of the implemented policy. Personal communication with the Ministry of Education's Communication Centre and the Norwegian Directorate of Education and Training has provided some additional information. The findings are that there is an overall consensus on the primacy of economic values (at the level of ideas), management by output control, explicit standards, a test system (implemented at the policy level) and an accountability system (implemented at the policy level). Consensus between the two governments on these new institutional arrangements in education seems to be the major trend. However, disagreements over new free/private schools and markets in education are important. It is concluded that there are two versions of NPM policies present – a liberal one advocated by the Centre–Conservative government and a communitarian version advocated by the Red–Green government – and that the major consensus trend between the governments may imply steps towards an ideological hegemony of ideas related to the NPM tradition.

Reforming governance through policy instruments: how and to what extent standards, tests and accountability in education spread worldwide

“…2. Although the reviewed literature also shows that social-democratic governments tend to be more belligerent with certain TBA uses when in opposition than when in power (see for instance Solhaug, 2011).…”

Evaluation – the (not so) softlysoftly approach to governance and its consequences for compulsory education in the Nordic countries

“…In other words, new "soft" governance ways of managing more dispersed and fragmented systems at arm's length have also appeared in the Nordic countries. These are challenging some of the basic tenets of the Nordic education model concerning equality and social justice (Simola et al 2009), shifting the focus in education from "Democratic Bildung" to "back to basics" (Moos 2009;Solhaug 2011), and promoting a pedagogic ideology subjecting pupils to even higher expectations and competitive levels of performance (Telhaug et al 2006). The next section will consider whether the modes of soft governance being introduced are contributing to the formation of an evaluative culture involving both institutions and techniques of accountability and performativity in relation to compulsory education in the five Nordic countries.…”

“…However, although it is targeted mainly at head teachers, school administrators and politicians, it is available via the open portal to parents, pupils and the public in general and thus offers potential as a means of "soft" regulation of school performance. Indeed, Solhaug (2011) argues that it can "serve as a marketplace for 'school shopping', where the test results might function as a 'price' or 'value system' for students and parents when choosing a school" (Solhaug 2011: 274).…”

Educational reforms and marketization in Norway – A challenge to the tradition of the social democratic, inclusive school?

“…Marketization elements such as contractual relationships, decentralization, competition and output control have replaced direct hierarchical control forms, but elements such as privatization, public–private partnerships, subcontracting and free choice for parents regarding the choice of a school have only been introduced to a limited extent. Nevertheless, there has been general political agreement on the introduction of NPM elements into education (Arnott et al, 2009; Solhaug, 2011).…”