Nonprofit Organizations and Education Policy: Cross-National Comparative Case Studies of Evidence Mobilization in Political Environments

• In Event: Comparative Politics in Education: The Growing Role of Markets, Nonprofits, and Teachers in Educational Policy Making

Abstract

Nonprofit intermediary organizations (IO) are rising in prominence in education sectors, shaping what is considered research evidence, and mobilizing evidence to attempt to influence policy processes. This study employs a socio-ecological systems framework, multiple case study design, and thematic analysis to examine how IOs in the education sectors of Auckland, New Zealand and Los Angeles, USA mobilize evidence to advocate for or against policies. The comparative study illuminates how the structures, boundaries, and rules of networked governance systems inform IO engagement in policy process, as well as access to policy processes for constituents. The study also surfaces how elements of the political environment, such as evidence from abroad and access to financial resources, inform actor engagement in policy processes.

Author

• Samantha Hedges, Indiana University - Bloomington