Playing the multilevel game in education: The PISA Study and the Bologna Process triggering Swiss harmonization.

In: Transformation of education policy., p. 105-131

Abstract

This chapter [...] will present the current Swiss education system including its German and French historical roots. In the third part, the empirical analysis demonstrates that Swiss education underwent remarkable changes, which were triggered by the PISA Study and the Bologna Process - despite reform-hindering domestic settings responsible for the backlog of reforms in the 1980s and 1990s. In the fourth part, the author evaluates the influence of IO governance instruments and national transformation capacities on reform processes in Swiss education policymaking and shows how the international initiatives were able to impact on Switzerland and how they functioned as triggers for significant domestic change. The concluding part provides a final summary of main findings and points to subjects of further research. (DIPF/Orig.).