Page 123 - Štremfel, Urška, and Maša Vidmar (eds.). 2018. Early School Leaving: Contemporary European Perspectives. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut.
P. 123
esl in the eu: learning from differences and common trends
been evaluated through a strictly prescribed protocol (see EACEA, 2015),
their actual exploitation at the EU level and dissemination in the form of
mainstream practice across the EU remains open and calls for monitoring
and evaluation over a longer period of time once the project formally ends.
How do they learn?
In a more or less institutionalised manner
Policy learning is most likely to take place when a suitable institutional in-
frastructure is in place (absence of any uniform or rigid rules, enabling
sufficient informal communication and knowledge exchange). It should
include a set of policy instruments that build up the participating actors’
institutional learning capability (Stone, 1999; Gornitzka, 2006; Radaelli,
2008).
On a voluntary or coercive basis
Dolowitz and Marsh (1996) distinguish three policy transfer types: 1) vol-
untary transfer, which occurs when policymakers decide on the policy
transfer on their own and on a voluntary basis due to their dissatisfaction
with the existing national policy; 2) direct imposition of the transfer, which
occurs when one actor forces another to adopt a certain policy; and 3) in-
direct imposition of the transfer, which is based on certain (extrinsic) fac-
tors or a functional dependence, that encourages actors to transfer a poli-
cy voluntarily.
With various motives and strategies
While some accept new knowledge and lessons for purely symbolic or stra-
tegic reasons to muster political support, others apply the new knowledge
and lessons to actually make changes and improve their understanding of
policy problems and the current situation. It is widely believed that policy
learning is more common during a period of failure and crisis, when ac-
tors have a stronger desire and need to change and improve the current sit-
uation (Levitt & March, 1988; Hemerijck & Visser, 2001, 7; Radaelli, 2004).
Taking the complexity of public policies and the institutional
context into consideration
Some authors (e.g. Rose, 2002; Hsueh, 2009) point out that superficial im-
itation alone is far from sufficient to successfully transfer ideas, policies
123
been evaluated through a strictly prescribed protocol (see EACEA, 2015),
their actual exploitation at the EU level and dissemination in the form of
mainstream practice across the EU remains open and calls for monitoring
and evaluation over a longer period of time once the project formally ends.
How do they learn?
In a more or less institutionalised manner
Policy learning is most likely to take place when a suitable institutional in-
frastructure is in place (absence of any uniform or rigid rules, enabling
sufficient informal communication and knowledge exchange). It should
include a set of policy instruments that build up the participating actors’
institutional learning capability (Stone, 1999; Gornitzka, 2006; Radaelli,
2008).
On a voluntary or coercive basis
Dolowitz and Marsh (1996) distinguish three policy transfer types: 1) vol-
untary transfer, which occurs when policymakers decide on the policy
transfer on their own and on a voluntary basis due to their dissatisfaction
with the existing national policy; 2) direct imposition of the transfer, which
occurs when one actor forces another to adopt a certain policy; and 3) in-
direct imposition of the transfer, which is based on certain (extrinsic) fac-
tors or a functional dependence, that encourages actors to transfer a poli-
cy voluntarily.
With various motives and strategies
While some accept new knowledge and lessons for purely symbolic or stra-
tegic reasons to muster political support, others apply the new knowledge
and lessons to actually make changes and improve their understanding of
policy problems and the current situation. It is widely believed that policy
learning is more common during a period of failure and crisis, when ac-
tors have a stronger desire and need to change and improve the current sit-
uation (Levitt & March, 1988; Hemerijck & Visser, 2001, 7; Radaelli, 2004).
Taking the complexity of public policies and the institutional
context into consideration
Some authors (e.g. Rose, 2002; Hsueh, 2009) point out that superficial im-
itation alone is far from sufficient to successfully transfer ideas, policies
123
