Role of the State, New Labour Government, and Education Reforms in England

• Main Authors: Jung-Cheng, Chen, 陳榮政
• Other Authors: Tein-Hui, Chiang
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2008
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/74862759152477967858

博士 === 國立暨南國際大學 === 比較教育學系 === 96 === Abstract This research based on the education reforms of New Labour government in UK, examines the relationship between education and the state. The focus here is on the New Labour government’s discourse, since 1997, on the market-orientation of education, which was aimed at strengthening competitiveness. This research is from a macro perspective, analyzing the changing role of state apparatus, reviewing relevant writings, and, by analysing historical documents, outlining the interaction between the state and education. Then, by comparing the outline with other thoughts and theories, I laid out the dialectic process. Finally, using the participation research approach, I collected data, conducted interviews, examined my findings and theories, and came up with a conclusion. In this research I found that in a capitalist society, under the influence of various economic factors, the state would adopt a shifting and dymamic attitude to meet the demands of complex interests. Education played the role of a structural means. The “means” here was not the same means in Marxism, but a means that improved competitiveness. The state, when facing threats from globalization, would try to adjust her educational methods and scale to stay competitive. Using education as a means has differentiated from the thinking of a traditional welfare state, even from the Labour Party, which has long emphasized social justice. Based on these, I came up with these findings and a conclusion: 1. As to research findings, they can be categorized into three sections, discussing twelve main findings (details see the content): A. The post-ideological thoughts about policy-making B. Anatomical market-oriented strategies C. Auditing education reform The above findings revealed that the series of education reform enacted by the New Labour Party was no longer confined in traditional socialistic thinking. It showed a kind of thinking that went beyond ideology. The effectiveness of policy implementation was not subject to a political party’s ideology any more. The value and implementation of market-oriented policies were getting more and more control. Thus we can observe that the New Labour Party is gradually disclosing its market-oriented qualities through new strategies and a changing social structure. In the new environment come the relevant policies and regulations, and an auditing education reform that caters to the market-oriented society. 2. As to the conclusion, it can be divided into four parts: A. The shifting state, the mobile education. B. The rise of economic competitiveness, the fall of ideological influence. C. The rise of the State Commercialism. D. The formation of Educational Trade Liberalization The above conclusion is a concrete and innovative description, based on research findings and a comparison with theoretical notions, of the relationship between the state and education. The shifting state and mobile education can fully embody the flexible qualities that education has displayed in accordance with the society with shifting structures and in different times. The rise of economic values and the fall of ideological influence are tearing down the structuralist’s economy-politics-ideology analytic model. And the State Commercialism and Educational Trade Liberalization provides my research with new terminology and viewpoints, the former declaring that the traditional Neo Liberalism is outdated, thus bringing out the State Commercialism; the latter delineating the changes following the privatization of education services.