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Introduction: the landscapes of poverty and education across the UK

Ian Thompson and Gabrielle Ivinson

in Poverty in Education Across the UK: A Comparative Analysis of Policy and Place

Poverty blights the lives of children and young people. Research has consistently shown that the most economically disadvantaged pupils across the United Kingdom (UK) have the poorest educational ... More

Poverty blights the lives of children and young people. Research has consistently shown that the most economically disadvantaged pupils across the United Kingdom (UK) have the poorest educational outcomes and that poverty has a pernicious effect on children’s well-being. However, far less is known about the ways that poverty is differentially experienced for children and young people in schools within the four jurisdictions of the UK. Are there historical, social and cultural factors that make poverty a postcode lottery in terms of quality of schooling in the different parts of the UK? Are successful local interventions context specific as the research evidence seems to suggest or can we learn from particular regions or cities? This introduction points out that anxieties about growing educational inequality in the UK have to be contextualised historically, geographically and in terms of the distinct political and socio-economic landscapes in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.Less

Policy and its exploration

Susan M. Hodgson and Zoë Irving

in Policy reconsidered: Meanings, politics and practices

Policy serves as a crucial and practical framework for the expression of political messages and the achievement of social goals. The use of policy as a governmental instrument is significant in the ... More

Policy serves as a crucial and practical framework for the expression of political messages and the achievement of social goals. The use of policy as a governmental instrument is significant in the maintenance and continuance of social, political, and economic relationships: 1) between states, states and citizens, providers and users of services; and 2) within states and within organisations. But policy is also a non-governmental construct and practice, as contributions to the ‘policy studies’ literature have argued and explored. This chapter begins with some discussion of intellectual divides as it provides insight into the artificiality of these divisions and is crucial to the understanding of why the exploration of policy provides a vehicle for reconciliation. The chapter also presents an account of the transformations in the policy landscape, which requires the reinspection of established frameworks of understanding and explanation. The chapter also considers the extent to which an altered policy terrain has overlapped with movement in the more abstract realm of knowledge production. Final discussions of this introductory chapter focus on the structure of the book and its role in reconsidering policy.Less

Managing Policies: Accountability, Rent-Seeking, and Corruption

in Reputation-Based Governance

This chapter discusses the management of policies under reputation-based governance. It focuses on two issues that allow the adoption of two distinct points of view on the matter. The first regards ... More

This chapter discusses the management of policies under reputation-based governance. It focuses on two issues that allow the adoption of two distinct points of view on the matter. The first regards the implications of adopting a strong project-oriented approach that goes hand in hand with the organization of a policy landscape, where the set of actions by a public administration is partitioned into distinct projects and programs. The second considers the impact that a high degree of personal accountability has on rent-seeking behavior and particularly on its most nefarious manifestation, corruption. The data-rich environment brought about by reputation-based governance would be particularly effective in limiting this phenomenon.Less