Page 40 - Štremfel, Urška, and Maša Vidmar (eds.). 2018. Early School Leaving: Cooperation Perspectives. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut.
P. 40
eral guidelines for successful cross-sectoral cooperation were found in
the literature:
In the area of ESL, formalising cooperation, for example, by means of
a (national) coordinating body or comprehensive ESL strategy are seen as
a way to enhance synergies across government departments and between
different levels of authority, schools and other stakeholders. It is regard-
ed as a mechanism for strengthening commitment, improving the moni-
toring and evaluation process as well as identifying areas for further work
(Eurydice, 2014). High-level politics and changes at the national policy lev-
el are important, but not the sole factor in successful cross-sectoral coop-
eration at the lower (local, school) level. A successful cross-sectoral ap-
proach requires cooperative efforts at all levels and can be supported but
not imposed by one strategic document(s) or legal framework (Christensen
& Laegreid, 2007; Pollitt, 2003). Cross-sectoral cooperation is a long devel-
opmental process that calls for new skills, changes in organisational cul-
ture and the building of relations based on mutual trust (March & Olsen,
1983). Instead of prescriptive policy measures, Edwards and Downes (2013)
suggest that a robust overarching conceptual framework, involving a set
of conceptual tools to help shape the development of national policies and
guide the work of actors in practice, is needed.
Conclusions
It is often assumed at the political level that cross-sectoral cooperation is
the Holy Grail of solutions to modern social problems. These beliefs are
supported by funding of various forms of cross-sectoral cooperation at dif-
ferent levels, even though there is little evidence of how successful it can be
expected to be (Bryson et al., 2006). In EU policy documents (e.g. Council
Conclusions, 2011; 2015), cross-sectoral cooperation is regarded as a neces-
sary and desirable measure for dealing with ESL. It is argued that the mul-
ti-faceted nature of the risk of ESL requires a multi-faceted (cross-sectoral)
response. But there is a clear gap between the European discourse and the
theoretically and empirically acknowledged challenges of cross-sectoral
cooperation in practice. The theoretical views on cross-sectoral coopera-
tion at the macro policy level presented in the article show that cross-sec-
toral cooperation is important yet hard to achieve (e.g. Bryson et al., 2015).
There is no general theory of cooperation that can fully explain the pre-
conditions, process and outcomes of successful cross-sectoral cooperation
(e.g. Wood & Gray, 1991), as well as no single evidence-based answer, recipe
40
the literature:
In the area of ESL, formalising cooperation, for example, by means of
a (national) coordinating body or comprehensive ESL strategy are seen as
a way to enhance synergies across government departments and between
different levels of authority, schools and other stakeholders. It is regard-
ed as a mechanism for strengthening commitment, improving the moni-
toring and evaluation process as well as identifying areas for further work
(Eurydice, 2014). High-level politics and changes at the national policy lev-
el are important, but not the sole factor in successful cross-sectoral coop-
eration at the lower (local, school) level. A successful cross-sectoral ap-
proach requires cooperative efforts at all levels and can be supported but
not imposed by one strategic document(s) or legal framework (Christensen
& Laegreid, 2007; Pollitt, 2003). Cross-sectoral cooperation is a long devel-
opmental process that calls for new skills, changes in organisational cul-
ture and the building of relations based on mutual trust (March & Olsen,
1983). Instead of prescriptive policy measures, Edwards and Downes (2013)
suggest that a robust overarching conceptual framework, involving a set
of conceptual tools to help shape the development of national policies and
guide the work of actors in practice, is needed.
Conclusions
It is often assumed at the political level that cross-sectoral cooperation is
the Holy Grail of solutions to modern social problems. These beliefs are
supported by funding of various forms of cross-sectoral cooperation at dif-
ferent levels, even though there is little evidence of how successful it can be
expected to be (Bryson et al., 2006). In EU policy documents (e.g. Council
Conclusions, 2011; 2015), cross-sectoral cooperation is regarded as a neces-
sary and desirable measure for dealing with ESL. It is argued that the mul-
ti-faceted nature of the risk of ESL requires a multi-faceted (cross-sectoral)
response. But there is a clear gap between the European discourse and the
theoretically and empirically acknowledged challenges of cross-sectoral
cooperation in practice. The theoretical views on cross-sectoral coopera-
tion at the macro policy level presented in the article show that cross-sec-
toral cooperation is important yet hard to achieve (e.g. Bryson et al., 2015).
There is no general theory of cooperation that can fully explain the pre-
conditions, process and outcomes of successful cross-sectoral cooperation
(e.g. Wood & Gray, 1991), as well as no single evidence-based answer, recipe
40
