Democratising education policy making or legitimising discourse? An analysis of the new Lifelong Learning Law in the Basque Country
This paper looks into the orientation and purposes of a Lifelong Learning Law that was sanctioned in the Basque Country in 2013, and whose formation process entailed a year-long consultation with different local stakeholders. Although the consideration of diverse agents - other than political player...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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University of Bologna
2014-12-01
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| Series: | Encyclopaideia |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://encp.unibo.it/article/view/4655 |
| _version_ | 1811204856861425664 |
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| author | Carlos Vargas Tamez |
| author_facet | Carlos Vargas Tamez |
| author_sort | Carlos Vargas Tamez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper looks into the orientation and purposes of a Lifelong Learning Law that was sanctioned in the Basque Country in 2013, and whose formation process entailed a year-long consultation with different local stakeholders. Although the consideration of diverse agents - other than political players - in policy making is a very valuable element for the democratisation of public policy, grounded on examination of the Basque experience, the paper poses serious questions as to the extent to which non-state actors may take part in the policy and decision making processes, and underscores the differences in the scope and influence of their actions, perspectives and proposals. From a social construction framework, it is argued that the incorporation of experts to policy making belongs to a certain way of crafting policy, one that is top-down, while the idea of democratic policy making requires an inverse design; a bottom-up method that may enable the practitioners who implement programmes and strategies, and those receiving the educational services, to be co-participants and to share responsibility in the ideation and effectuation of education policy. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T03:20:43Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-647f6274da9b4fc0a0fc1aed6a2f3cc3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1590-492X 1825-8670 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T03:20:43Z |
| publishDate | 2014-12-01 |
| publisher | University of Bologna |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Encyclopaideia |
| spelling | doaj.art-647f6274da9b4fc0a0fc1aed6a2f3cc32022-12-22T03:49:55ZengUniversity of BolognaEncyclopaideia1590-492X1825-86702014-12-01184010.6092/issn.1825-8670/46554261Democratising education policy making or legitimising discourse? An analysis of the new Lifelong Learning Law in the Basque CountryCarlos Vargas TamezThis paper looks into the orientation and purposes of a Lifelong Learning Law that was sanctioned in the Basque Country in 2013, and whose formation process entailed a year-long consultation with different local stakeholders. Although the consideration of diverse agents - other than political players - in policy making is a very valuable element for the democratisation of public policy, grounded on examination of the Basque experience, the paper poses serious questions as to the extent to which non-state actors may take part in the policy and decision making processes, and underscores the differences in the scope and influence of their actions, perspectives and proposals. From a social construction framework, it is argued that the incorporation of experts to policy making belongs to a certain way of crafting policy, one that is top-down, while the idea of democratic policy making requires an inverse design; a bottom-up method that may enable the practitioners who implement programmes and strategies, and those receiving the educational services, to be co-participants and to share responsibility in the ideation and effectuation of education policy.http://encp.unibo.it/article/view/4655Policy MakingDemocratizationLifelong LearningAdult EducationLearners’ Voice |
| spellingShingle | Carlos Vargas Tamez Democratising education policy making or legitimising discourse? An analysis of the new Lifelong Learning Law in the Basque Country Encyclopaideia Policy Making Democratization Lifelong Learning Adult Education Learners’ Voice |
| title | Democratising education policy making or legitimising discourse? An analysis of the new Lifelong Learning Law in the Basque Country |
| title_full | Democratising education policy making or legitimising discourse? An analysis of the new Lifelong Learning Law in the Basque Country |
| title_fullStr | Democratising education policy making or legitimising discourse? An analysis of the new Lifelong Learning Law in the Basque Country |
| title_full_unstemmed | Democratising education policy making or legitimising discourse? An analysis of the new Lifelong Learning Law in the Basque Country |
| title_short | Democratising education policy making or legitimising discourse? An analysis of the new Lifelong Learning Law in the Basque Country |
| title_sort | democratising education policy making or legitimising discourse an analysis of the new lifelong learning law in the basque country |
| topic | Policy Making Democratization Lifelong Learning Adult Education Learners’ Voice |
| url | http://encp.unibo.it/article/view/4655 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT carlosvargastamez democratisingeducationpolicymakingorlegitimisingdiscourseananalysisofthenewlifelonglearninglawinthebasquecountry |