Education Policy and Reforms: Global Experiences and Local Contexts

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• Understand the merits and limitations of individual policy instruments used in education policy reforms and how these are related to what kind of local contexts.
• Know the latest trends and developments in education reforms around the world

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Deliver viewpoints and arguments clearly and convincingly in both speaking and writing, individually or as a team.

Subject Specific Practical Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Critically review and analyze issues related to education policy and governance, both individually and as a team.

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Assess the quality of evidence generated from education policy research using various methods;

PART I. INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW

Week 1 Overview of the Course

No Required Readings.

Week 2 The “Basics” of Basic Education

Concepts to be covered in the lecture: Learning; Human Capital; Capability

Guiding questions for class: Why and how is basic education important? How do we know it? Is education conducive to growth? Why (not)? What are the social benefits of education (on health, labor participation etc.)?

Required Readings:

• Kremer, M., Brannen, C., & Glennerster, R. (2013). The challenge of education and learning in the developing world. Science, 340(6130), 297-300.
• Hanushek, E. A., & Woessmann, L. (2008). The role of cognitive skills in economic development. Journal of Economic Literature, 607-668. [Key words: Review, Cognitive skills, Global]

Further Readings and Materials:

• Banerjee, A. V., & Duflo, E. (2011). Poor economics: A radical rethinking of the way to fight global poverty. Public Affairs. CHAPTER 4.
• Duflo, E. (2004). The medium-run effects of educational expansion. Evidence from a large school construction program. Journal of Development Economics, 74(1) [Experiment, Labor Market, Indonesia]
• Cutler, D. M., & Lleras-Muney, A. (2010). Understanding differences in health behaviors by education. Journal of health economics, 29(1), 1-28.
• Harrison, G. W. (2011). Randomisation and its discontents. Journal of African Economies, 20(4), 626-652. [Methodological debate]

PART II. COMMON INSTRUMENTS USED IN EDUCATION REFORMS

Week 3- Input-based Interventions: Does “More of the same” Work?

Does providing textbooks, laptops and other inputs to students work in improving their learning? Why (not)? Are there similar examples from your country? To your knowledge/ observation, how are students and teachers reacting to those inputs? What should be done to improve the reception?

Required Readings:

• Glewwe, P., Kremer, M., & Moulin, S. (2009). Many children left behind? Textbooks and test scores in Kenya. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 1(1), 112-135. [RCT, Textbook, Kenya]
• Cristia, J. P, Ibarraran, P., Cueto, S., Santiago, A., & Severin, E. (2012). Technology and Child Development: Evidence from the One Laptop Per Child Program. IZA Discussion Paper 6401.

Further Readings:

• Pritchett, L. (2014). The risks to education systems from design mismatch and global isomorphism. WIDER Working Paper 2014/039. [Reflection, India]
• Das, J., Dercon. S, Habyarimana, J., Krishnan, P., Muralidharan, K., & Sundararaman, V. (2013). "School Inputs, Household Substitution, and Test Scores." American Economic Journal: Applied Economics no. 5 (2):29-57.

Week 4- Marketization and School Choice

Policy instrument; school vouchers; “vote with feet”

What is the rationale behind market-oriented reforms? Under what circumstances and for whom does it work?

Required Readings:

• Epple, D., Romano, R. E., & Urquiola, M. (2017). School vouchers: A survey of the economics literature. Journal of Economic Literature, 55(2), 441-92.
• Garcia, D. R. (2011). The Achilles' heel of school choice policies: The obstacles to reporting school accountability results to parents. Journal of School Choice, 5(1), 66-84.

Further Readings:

• Hastings, J. S., & Weinstein, J. M. (2008). Information, school choice, and academic achievement: Evidence from two experiments. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 123(4), 1373-1414. [Natural/field experiment, information, U.S.]
• Alderman, H., Orazem, P. F., & Paterno, E. M. (2001). School quality, school cost, and the public/private school choices of low-income households in Pakistan. Journal of Human Resources 36 (2): 304-326. [Random sampling, (private) school fees and distance, Pakistan]

Week 5- Educational Decentralization

School-based management; Autonomy; Local information; Policy capacity

What is the rationale behind decentralization and school-based management reforms? Under which circumstances and contexts are decentralization reforms more likely to work and why? Which tasks in education are more suitable for (de-)centralization? Why?

Required Readings:

• Hanushek, E. A., Link, S., & Woessmann, L. (2013). Does school autonomy make sense everywhere? Panel estimates from PISA. Journal of Development Economics, 104, 212-232. [Global]
• Gershberg, A. I., González, P. A., & Meade, B. (2012). Understanding and improving accountability in education: A conceptual framework and guideposts from three decentralization reform experiences in Latin America. World Development, 40(5), 1024-1041. [Case study, Latin America]

Further Readings:

• Channa, A., & Faguet, J. P. (2016). Decentralization of health and education in developing countries: A quality-adjusted review of the empirical literature. The World Bank Research Observer, 31(2), 199-241. [Review, Global]
• Galiani, S., Gertler, P., & Schargrodsky, E. (2008). School decentralization: Helping the good get better, but leaving the poor behind. Journal of Public Economics, 92(10), 2106-2120. [DID, inequality, Argentina]
• Gertler, P., Patrinos. H. & Codina.M.R. (2007). "Methodological Issues in the Evaluation of School -Based Management Reforms."

Available at http://www.ifs.org.uk/edepo/rubio_methodological.pdf [methodological issues]

PART III. MAKING REFORMS WORK BEFORE AND AFTER COVID-19

Week 6- Overview of Educational Governance and Accountability

Governance; Accountability

What is governance and accountability in basic education?

Required Readings:

• Mbiti, I. M. (2016). The need for accountability in education in developing countries. The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 30(3), 109-132. [Review, Accountability, Global]
• Yan, Y. (2019). Making accountability work in basic education: reforms, challenges and the role of the government. Policy Design and Practice, 2(1), 90-102.

Further Readings and Materials:

• Bruns, B., Filmer, D., & Patrinos, H. A. (2011). Making schools work: New evidence on accountability reforms. World Bank Publications. CHAPTER 1&5.
• Capano, G., Howlett, M., & Ramesh, M. (2015). Bringing governments back in: Governance and governing in comparative policy analysis. Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis: Research and Practice, 17:4, 311-321, DOI: 10.1080/13876988.2015.1031977. [Governance, Government, Comparative]

Week 7- Accountability as Discipline/Punishment, Control or “Threat”

Principal-agent problem; information asymmetry; threat-induced improvement

What are the potential side-effects or unintended consequences for control-based accountability mechanisms? How can we mitigate them? Are those measures always feasible and sustainable?

Required Readings:

• Jacob, B. A. (2005). “Accountability, incentives and behavior: the impact of high-stakes testing in the Chicago Public Schools.” Journal of Public Economics, 89: 761-796. [United States]
• de Wolf, I. F., & Janssens, F. J. (2007). Effects and side effects of inspections and accountability in education: an overview of empirical studies. Oxford Review of education, 33(3), 379-396.
• Aiyar, Y. & Bhattacharya, S. (2015). The Post-Office State. The Caravan: A Journal of Politics and Culture. 1st March 2015. Available at: http://www.caravanmagazine.in/perspectives/post-office-state-education-bureaucratic

Further Readings and Materials:

• Kane, T. J., & Staiger, D. O. (2002). The promise and pitfalls of using imprecise school accountability measures. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 16(4), 91-114.
• Bruns, B., Macdonald, I. H., & Schneider, B. R. (2019). The politics of quality reforms and the challenges for SDGs in education. World Development, 118, 27-38.

Week 8- Two Hours of In-Class Debate

Week 9- Supporting Teachers to Work Better

Performance pay; Incentives; Public service motivation; incentive-compatibility

How do different rewarding schemes match with teacher incentives? What are the potential pitfalls? How is the support in the form of teacher in-service training and promotion different from financial instruments such as performance pay?

Required Readings:

• Muralidharan, K. & Venkatesh S. (2011). “Performance pay: Experimental evidence from India.” Journal of Political Economy, 119(1): 39-77. [Key words: Field experiment, Performance pay, India]
• Yan, Y., & Saguin, K. (2021). Policy capacity matters for capacity development: comparing teacher in-service training and career advancement in basic education systems of India and China. International Review of Administrative Sciences, 87(2), 294-310.

Further Readings and Materials:

• Podgursky, M. J., & Springer, M. G. (2007). Teacher performance pay: A review. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 26(4), 909-950.
• Glewwe, P., Ilias, N. & Kremer, M. (2010). “Teacher Incentives” American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 2(3): 205-27. [Key words: RCT, Performance Pay, Kenya]
• Piper, B., & Zuilkowski, S. S. (2015). Teacher coaching in Kenya: Examining instructional support in public and non-formal schools. Teaching and Teacher Education, 47, 173-183.
• Karachiwalla, N., & Park, A. (2017). Promotion incentives in the public sector: Evidence from Chinese schools. Journal of Public Economics, 146, 109-128. [Tournament model, promotion, China]
• Bautista, A., Wong, J., & Gopinathan, S. (2015). “Teacher professional development in Singapore: Depicting the landscape”. Psychology, Society and Education, 7(3), 311-326.

Week 10- A System Approach to Studying Education Policy and Reforms

Required Readings:

• Yan, Y., Sano, H., & Sumiya, L. A. (2023). Policy capacity matters for education system reforms: a comparative study of two Brazilian states. Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis: Research and Practice, 25(2), 253-281.
• Silberstein, J., & Spivack, M. (2023). Applying Systems Thinking to Education: Using the RISE Systems Framework to Diagnose Education Systems. RISE Insight Series, 21, 028.

Further Readings and Materials:

• Kioupi, V., & Voulvoulis, N. (2019). Education for sustainable development: A systemic framework for connecting the SDGs to educational outcomes. Sustainability, 11(21), 6104.

Week 11- Leaving No One Behind: Education Policy for Disadvantaged Populations

Required Readings:

• Evans, D. K., & Yuan, F. (2022). What we learn about girls’ education from interventions that do not focus on girls. The World Bank Economic Review, 36(1), 244-267.
• Power, A., Coverdale, A., Croydon, A., Hall, E., Kaley, A., Macpherson, H., & Nind, M. (2022). Personalisation policy in the lives of people with learning disabilities: a call to focus on how people build their lives relationally. Critical Social Policy, 42(2), 220-240.

Week 12- Building Back Better? Education Policy and Reforms beyond the Pandemic

Required Readings:

• Chanduvi, J. S., Jenkins, R., Dewan, P., Reuge, N., Yao, H., Alejo, A., ... & Bergmann, J. (2022). Where Are We on Education Recovery?. UNICEF.
• Zancajo, A., Verger, A., & Bolea, P. (2022). Digitalization and beyond: the effects of Covid-19 on post-pandemic educational policy and delivery in Europe. Policy and Society, 41(1), 111-128.

Teaching and learning methods

The total class time contains 12 weekly sessions in the term. The weekly sessions will begin with the lectures that gives an overview of the topic, of which lectures for Parts 1 and 2 will last for one hour, and those for Part 3 last for two hours. A seminar of 1 hour will be held the next day, whereas up to 176 hours of independent study are expected outside the session time. The seminars will contain interactive activities such as discussions, debates, and small-group exercises, to facilitate a more in-depth understanding of what is covered in the lecture. In both lectures and seminars, the convener will utilize an abundant number of real-world examples from the existing literature as well as her own research and field work experiences in China, India, Brazil and Singapore. For the lecture part, this module also features a few guest lectures from both internal and external speakers, the details of which will be announced at the beginning of the term.

Assessment strategy

The following assignments and class participation will be assessed to determine module grades:

ComponentWeightDue Date

Final 2-hour open-book exam60%During the exam week

In-class Debate30%In-class of Week 8

Seminar Participation10%Throughout the term

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.