An Imperative to Adjust?: Skill Formation in England and Germany

319 Pages·2011·1.22 MB·English

by  Joachim Wentzel

Joachim Wentzel
An Imperative to Adjust?
VS RESEARCH
Joachim Wentzel
An Imperative
to Adjust?
Skill Formation in England
and Germany
VS RESEARCH
Bibliographic information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie;
detailed bibliographic data are available in the Internet at http://dnb.d-nb.de.
Dissertation am Europäischen Hochschulinstitut, Florenz, 2009
1st Edition 2011
All rights reserved
© VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften | Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH 2011
Editorial Office: Dorothee Koch | Anette Villnow
VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften is a brand of Springer Fachmedien.
Springer Fachmedien is part of Springer Science+Business Media.
www.vs-verlag.de
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system
or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photo-
copying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the
copyright holder.
Registered and/or industrial names, trade names, trade descriptions etc. cited in this publication
are part of the law for trade-mark protection and may not be used free in any form or by any
means even if this is not specifically marked.
Cover design: KünkelLopka Medienentwicklung, Heidelberg
Printed on acid-free paper
Printed in Germany
ISBN 978-3-531-18063-2
Abstract

This study examines educational systems and the changes observed within them
alongside changes in the wider political economy. The research was conducted
through comparative case studies of England and Germany, two countries that in
the varieties of capitalism (VoC) literature exemplify two very different types of
economic coordination (thereby, this study follows a "most different research
design"). Expanding upon the VoC approach, this book analyses not only
vocational education and training but also school education and higher
education, since these two areas contribute decisively to national skill formation.
The point of departure is the puzzling observation that the current reforms of the
educational systems in both countries depart from the paths predicted by the
VoC approach. The study thus argues against institutional path-dependency in
the two countries and in favour of an ideational approach based on discursive
institutionalism.
The theoretical chapter (second chapter) opens this study with a discussion
of discursive institutionalism, policy diffusion, and conceptual mechanisms of
institutional change. It also provides a framework that accounts for path-deviant
discourses and reforms. This is followed by a description of the three educational
areas in both countries and an outline of the paths that the systems should have
taken if they had evolved path-dependently. Thereby, this chapter serves as a
reference point against which recent developments are assessed (fourth chapter).
Next, the visions and aims of the governments are identified through a textual
discourse analysis of various British government White Papers that formulate
policies on skill formation. The same procedure is applied for relevant policy
papers in Germany (fifth chapter).
Finally, the transformation of visions into concrete policy measures is
analysed by focusing on three important reform measures in each country (sixth
chapter). On the basis of the policy cycle stages these measures are traced back
to their original intentions, which are then compared with the implemented
initiatives. This procedure sheds light on how reforms match and potentially alter
the existing institutional design, how ideas drive educational reforms, and how
they resist, "bend", or even vanish once they are implemented through concrete
policy initiatives.

Contents

Abstract.................................................................................................................5
1 Research outline........................................................................................11
1.1 Preliminary considerations...................................................................11
1.2 Varieties of capitalism..........................................................................11
1.3 Recent developments in education policy............................................12
1.4 Reasons for change...............................................................................16
1.5 Procedure and basic clarifications........................................................17
1.6 Research design and structure of the book...........................................19
2 Theoretical framework..............................................................................23
2.1 Introductory remarks............................................................................23
2.2 The origins of discursive institutionalism.............................................25
2.3 Discursive institutionalism...................................................................28
2.4 Sequences of institutional change.........................................................34
2.5 Drivers of institutional change: the policy diffusion literature.............37
2.6 Discourse and ideas..............................................................................48
2.7 How do institutions change? Five mechanisms....................................49
2.8 Conclusion............................................................................................52
3 Case selection: Why comparing England and Germany?..........................55
3.1 1st set: The ’varieties of capitalism’ and institutional
complementarities................................................................................55
3.2 2nd set: Education systems...................................................................58
4 Education systems in England and Germany............................................61
4.1 School education..................................................................................62
4.2 Vocational education and training........................................................73
4.3 Higher education..................................................................................96
4.4 Conclusion..........................................................................................112
5 Governmental paper analysis..................................................................115
5.1 Textual discourse analysis..................................................................115
5.2 Analysis of governmental papers in England.....................................119
5.3 Analysis of governmental papers in Germany....................................158
5.4 Comparison........................................................................................177
5.5 Critique of argumentation...................................................................207
6 Educational reforms: process tracing and evaluation..............................217
6.1 Policy reforms in England – three cases and their selection..............219
6.2 Policy reforms in Germany – three cases and their selection............262
7 Conclusion..............................................................................................295
8 Bibliography............................................................................................303

Acknowledgements

This book appeared originally as my doctoral dissertation, which I defended in
December 2009 at the European University Institute in Florence, Italy. I would
like to thank my supervisor, Prof. Martin Kohli, as well as the entire defence
board, which consisted of Prof. Adrienne Héritier, Prof. Vivien Ann Schmidt and
Prof. Ewart Keep, for their comments and recommendations.
My deepest gratitude goes out to my parents Dorothea and Gerhard
Wentzel, who always supported me both morally and materially, and to my wife
Annett Wunder, for whom I am literally not capable of finding the appropriate
words of thanks. It is to them that this book is dedicated.