Page 119 - Štremfel, Urška, and Maša Vidmar (eds.). 2018. Early School Leaving: Contemporary European Perspectives. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut.
P. 119
esl in the eu: learning from differences and common trends
central mode of governance2 has been explained and justified from various
perspectives (Gornitzka, 2006; Hartlapp, 2009; Kan, 2005; Radaelli, 2008),
while policy learning in official EU documents is also presented as a key
component of EU governance (e.g. Council of the EU, 2009; 2015).
Table 2. Definition of policy learning.
Policy learning presents the process in which …
Who? Numerous interested individual and collective policy actors
How? in a more or less institutionalised manner
on a voluntary or coercive basis
with various motives and strategies
taking into consideration the complexity of public policies and institutional
framework/context
on the basis of their own experiences, from others or with others
form, give and/or take
What? rationally and/or socially and/or politically constructed knowledge
Why? in order to control uncertainty,
identify and solve policy problems,
set an agenda,
develop alternative solutions,
monitor implementation and evaluate public policies
and thereby achieve individual and/or collective rational and/or consensual
and/or politically agreed goals
With what effect? and by doing this change the ideas, values, interests, instruments, goals, pro-
grammes and institutional structure or (some) actors involved.
Source: Fink Hafner et al. (2012).
Radaelli (2008) defines policy learning as a potential mechanism for
deliberative collective problem-solving since it encourages member states
and other actors to exchange information, draw comparisons and evalu-
ate existing practices. A closer look at the existing literature reveals there
is no uniform definition of policy learning and that several different clas-
sifications of policy learning exist, mainly varying in terms of who the ac-
tors are that provide the source of the knowledge exchange (Etheredge
& Short, 1983; Hemerijck & Visser, 2003; Grin & Loeber, 2007; Hartlapp,
2009; Gilardi, 2010); the types of policy transfer (Dolowitz & Marsh, 1996)
and the type of changes brought about by it (Argyris & Schön, 1978; Hall,
1993; Olsen & Peters, 1996; Eising, 2002). All of these discussions and clas-
sifications may be summarised in the following questions: ‘Who learns?’,
2 In the article, we understand governance as both a structure and a process as part of
which a mult itude of actors solve policy problems in order to achieve common goals
(Pierre & Peters, 2000).
119
central mode of governance2 has been explained and justified from various
perspectives (Gornitzka, 2006; Hartlapp, 2009; Kan, 2005; Radaelli, 2008),
while policy learning in official EU documents is also presented as a key
component of EU governance (e.g. Council of the EU, 2009; 2015).
Table 2. Definition of policy learning.
Policy learning presents the process in which …
Who? Numerous interested individual and collective policy actors
How? in a more or less institutionalised manner
on a voluntary or coercive basis
with various motives and strategies
taking into consideration the complexity of public policies and institutional
framework/context
on the basis of their own experiences, from others or with others
form, give and/or take
What? rationally and/or socially and/or politically constructed knowledge
Why? in order to control uncertainty,
identify and solve policy problems,
set an agenda,
develop alternative solutions,
monitor implementation and evaluate public policies
and thereby achieve individual and/or collective rational and/or consensual
and/or politically agreed goals
With what effect? and by doing this change the ideas, values, interests, instruments, goals, pro-
grammes and institutional structure or (some) actors involved.
Source: Fink Hafner et al. (2012).
Radaelli (2008) defines policy learning as a potential mechanism for
deliberative collective problem-solving since it encourages member states
and other actors to exchange information, draw comparisons and evalu-
ate existing practices. A closer look at the existing literature reveals there
is no uniform definition of policy learning and that several different clas-
sifications of policy learning exist, mainly varying in terms of who the ac-
tors are that provide the source of the knowledge exchange (Etheredge
& Short, 1983; Hemerijck & Visser, 2003; Grin & Loeber, 2007; Hartlapp,
2009; Gilardi, 2010); the types of policy transfer (Dolowitz & Marsh, 1996)
and the type of changes brought about by it (Argyris & Schön, 1978; Hall,
1993; Olsen & Peters, 1996; Eising, 2002). All of these discussions and clas-
sifications may be summarised in the following questions: ‘Who learns?’,
2 In the article, we understand governance as both a structure and a process as part of
which a mult itude of actors solve policy problems in order to achieve common goals
(Pierre & Peters, 2000).
119
