Researching the political economy of adult learning systems. Theoretical amendments and empirical findings

Michael Schemmann,Martina Engels,Dörthe Herbrechter

doi:10.1007/s40955-020-00163-2

Abstract

The article relates to different approaches which emphasize a multi-level perspective as well as the institutional conditions that shape adult education. With reference to both the political economy approach and the governance perspective, it is outlined how these more general approaches can be theoretically amended by neo-institutional ideas especially when considering the institutional conditions that shape adult education at an organizational level. Based on a re-analysis of interview data, the findings provide first empirical indications of how institutional conditions of adult education organizations (e.g. the actors involved and their institutionalized relationships of interdependency) can be further specified when neo-institutional ideas are taken into account.

Highlights

The year 2016 marked the 200th anniversary of the beginning of comparative education: it was in 1816 and 1817 that Jullien de Paris published a questionnaire which is considered as the foundation of comparative education as a discipline
As we have argued before, introducing neo-institutionalism into the theoretical approach of political economy of adult learning systems helps identify the actors within the systems and the constellation of actors
In this paper we introduced neo-institutionalism into the theoretical approach of political economy of adult learning systems

Summary

Introduction

The year 2016 marked the 200th anniversary of the beginning of comparative education: it was in 1816 and 1817 that Jullien de Paris published a questionnaire which is considered as the foundation of comparative education as a discipline. When analyzing the theoretical approach of political economy, it becomes obvious that the organizational level is hardly taken into account. This is the starting point of the present paper, which focusses on two aspects: On the one hand, it intends to make a contribution to the theoretical notion of political. The paper applies this newly developed approach and by way of example, carries out an empirical analysis of public adult education organizations in order to prove the added value of this theoretical amendment. 4. The paper will conclude by discussing the contribution these findings bring to the debate on political economy of adult education systems and by highlighting further research perspectives

Approach of political economy of adult learning systems

Empirical design

Findings

Discussion of findings and conclusion