Institutions and Governance
The state and its institutional framework are central factors in education systems. The state, represented by one or more ministries, is involved in every formal education system. It regulates the entire education system through the constitution, laws and regulations and is thus the authority for all formal education programs. Formal education programs are regulated by law in most countries and lead to a state-recognized credential. Other forms of education such as non-formal courses and informal learning exist in all countries, but are not necessarily regulated by law.
Despite the great importance of government and related institutions in education and training, understanding the mechanisms and governance of the state and other institutions involved in the design and delivery of education and training programmes is a demanding challenge. So far, there are not enough theoretical studies or empirical analyses to provide a sufficient basis for statements on the effectiveness and efficiency of the state and the participating institutions in education and training. Our research group investigates issues related to these actors.
Related projects in the CES group:
Theoretical and Methodological Framework for Measuring the Robustness of Social Institutions in Education and Training
Social institutions are relatively stable patterns of behavior or joint action that help overcome fundamental problems and perform a function in society. The robustness of such institutions underlies their effectiveness at solving problems, but such robustness is difficult to assess.
Building on different institutionalism approaches, this project first develops a theoretical framework of social institutions. This framework combines the properties of social institutions—function, structure, culture, and sanction—with the level of institutionalizationand the scope of the institution. That framework allows us to assess the robustness of social institutions. We hypothesize that robust social institutions are robust in all properties and dimensions, and that robust education and training programs are composed of individual robust social institutions.
We introduce a methodological approach that shows how scholars can use the framework to assess the robustness of a given institution. By applying the methodological approach, scholars can assess the social institutions carrying out those functions.
In future work, we will apply the framework for social-institutional robustness to the social institutions in education and training programs. We use field-specific theory to identify the key functions and functionally equivalent institutions across contexts.
This project is part of the SNSF-SDC R4D-Program-financed research project "Linking Education and Labor Markets: Under what conditions can Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) improve the income of the youth? (R4D LELAM-TVET4INCOME).
The Linkage Between the Education and Employment Systems: Ideal Types of Vocational Education and Training Programs
In this project, we construct a typology of vocational education and training (VET) programs using a systematic, transparent process. We further validate the typology’s explanatory value, by building it from a strong theoretical foundation. We construct three ideal types of VET programs building Luhmann’s theory of social systems, which helps elucidate the significance of the linkage between actors from the education and employment systems in VET.
The first ideal type, with a maximal linkage, entails equal power-sharing between actors from the two systems. We expect such a VET program to have the most favorable youth labor market outcome. In contrast, the other two ideal types, in which only one system has all of the power, result in either undesirable outcomes, such as unemployment or skill mismatch, or missing access to further education.
A Configurational Analysis of Vocational Education and Training Programmes: Types of Education-Employment Linkage and their Explanatory Power
To deepen scholarly understanding of unfavourable youth labour market outcomes of vocational education and training (VET) programmes, this paper develops an empirical typology of VET programmes in developed countries. Building on a theoretical framework that draws on the theory of social systems, the paper analyses the linkage between actors from the education and employment systems in VET in preventing unfavourable youth labour market outcomes, such as unemployment and skills mismatch.
Based on empirical data on the largest upper-secondary VET programmes in 18 countries or states within them, this paper identifies five real types of VET programmes. These real types represent different combinations of the education-employment linkage in any process phase of curriculum design, application, and updating.
Importantly, this paper provides evidence that only real type VET programmes with a strong education-employment linkage throughout the entire curriculum process are associated with high youth labour market integration.
Existing studies suggest that the Swiss education system, mainly the dual vocational education and training VET, are one reason for the comparative advantages of the Swiss economy. However, VET is associated with a low social esteem not only overseas but even in Switzerland where the vocational path is chosen by the majority of young people on the upper secondary II level.
On one hand, this research project aims at measuring the social status of VET and at identifying its determinants. We assume that this social status is determined by different factors influencing the public perception and attitude towards educational achievements and professions. With that, the social status of VET not only represents the quality of the education but also depends on the institutional context as well as the cultural, social, political, and economic framework.
On the other hand, we want to reveal the consequences of the social status of VET for the society, economy and politics. This includes both the impact on individual behavior and the consequences for the training and recruitment behavior of companies.
This multi-phase project investigates the landscape of the Continuing Education and Training (CET) sector in Singapore. It aims to provide baseline information about the current status of CET from various perspectives, providing an insight into its main features and how adult educators and training providers respond to recent CET policy developments.
With an initial focus on adult educators and training providers, the project seeks to understand their profiles, practices, beliefs and challenges, as well as the impact of policies on their CET practices and development.
The project aims to answer the following research questions: Who are our adult educators and training providers and what are their profiles? What are the beliefs and practices of adult educators and training providers in designing, developing and delivering CET programmes? What are the challenges faced by adult educators and training providers? How do adult educators and training providers perceive CET-related policies? How do these policies inform their practices and development?
This project develops a theoretical framework for social innovation in vocational education and provides the basis for analyzing and understanding the innovation cycles in vocational education in different countries. This project contributes to the literature on innovation in education systems, especially to educational reforms and social innovations as part of a systemic change.
The objectives that lead this research are:
a) to provide a current understanding of innovation in education not limited to technology and digitalization;
b) to recognize the links of institutions and innovation in the specific context of vocational education;
c) to identify the role of reforms and innovation in a systemic change in countries with a current reform process