EERA: A Participant or an Agent in European Research Policy? A Governance Perspective

Abstract

In this article, the authors begin to frame a discussion of the educational research space that the European Educational Research Association (EERA) has been given and aims to take. The educational space is not merely a geographical phenomenon, but rather refers to the networks, flows and scapes that form the foundation for the construction of national or transnational cultural frames in which educational research works. This is a double-sided issue: EERA is a participant in the Europeanisation process working — intentionally or not and willingly or not — on harmonising educational research all over Europe and in the European Union (EU); furthermore, the EERA has been working on influencing research politics in Europe, in the EU and at the national levels for the past several years. The links between global development and local practices in universities and schools have become tighter over the past two or three decades. Transnational agencies such as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the EU are important channels in creating educational policies between global market initiatives and local practices. We can identify governance chains from these agencies through national authorities to local institutions.