Policy transfer, sustainable development and the context s of education

Abstract

As comparative and international researchers in education we are especially well placed to contribute to the analysis and understanding of global trends in both education and international development. In times of ever increasing complexity and uncertainty it can also be argued that we have a responsibility to do so, and to do so in rigorous but accessible ways. In this Presidential Address I (1) consider how we might do this in the light of the BAICE 2018 Conference theme, (2) argue how and why the critical interrogation of the processes of educational policy transfer lie at the heart of this, and (3) draw upon work inspired by BAICE during its first 20 years, along with my own related research in a diversity of contexts worldwide.

Recontextualization of learner-centred pedagogy in Rwanda: A comparative analysis of primary and secondary schools

“…In short, recontextualization considers how ideas, policies, or in this case, pedagogies, are transformed as they move among fields, actors and contexts. During this process, pedagogies take on new meanings and interpretations (Alexander 2001;Crossley 2019).…”

Possibilities and priorities for IJED in times of uncertainty: A 40th anniversary analysis

“…Similarly, the global prominence of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) since their launch in 2015 ( UNGA, 2015 ) ensures that analyses of ongoing implementation and critiques of policy will command the attention of many agencies and future contributors to IJED. As King (2017) argues, this will require the critical interrogation of the SDGs themselves and the power imbalances embedded within the architecture of international agencies and their ‘global’ agendas (see also McGrath, 2014 ; Crossley, 2019 ).…”

Storytelling and Policy Transfer

“…It allows delving into underlying statements and reactions that inform and exemplify the intents, interpretations, and undertakings that are identified in transfer cases. Through the analysis of narratives, we can interrogate the power and dependency relations (Crossley, 2018) and investigate the "often overlooked role of motivation" (Dolowitz, 2017, p. 40). To examine motivations, narratives matter in delimiting the space where the actors aim to influence, identifying how and where actors are situated, and portraying the envisioned targets and movements of the transfer object.…”