Decentralisation and language policy: local municipalities' role in language education policies. Insights from Denmark and Estonia

Abstract

The present article contributes to attempts to re-conceptualise the top-down perspective on language policy, by analysing the role of local and city governments' agency in language education policy making. Only few studies analyse the role of lower administrative levels in language policy, other than in implementation of governmental policies, why their policy appropriations are seen as policy deviations. Language policy researchers have however recognised that local governments can, due to the regional or local character of some language education problems, also be given a more active role in policy making. My claim is that in order to do so, the analysis has to be based on a conceptual framework that sees language policy developments as part of the general democratisation and decentralisation processes in society. The article therefore also problematises attempts to analyse and make sense of language policy developments separately from political and economic transitions of society. Based on Giddens' structuration theory and language governance studies, I will analyse how two different language policy models in Estonia and Denmark – in terms of allocation of resources and authority – frame local municipalities' opportunity for agency in language education policy matters.