Systems and spaces: an empirical analysis of education in International Geneva

• In Event: A future for systems approaches in education? Part 1: Systems approaches in education research

Proposal

Much of the international cooperation literature focuses on one type of actor (states, IO, INGO, partnership or philanthropy), or one organisation alone (UNESCO or the World Bank, for example). Research has yet to adequately address the local ecosystems in which these development actors are embedded. And yet, ecosystems are theorised to constrain and/or enable system elements (actors, ideas, resources) and the relationships between them. An ecosystem is a network of interconnecting and interacting organizations and stakeholders who address similar problems. Organisations that focus exclusively or partially on education that are based in Geneva exist within an ecosystem which curtails or enables their decisionmaking, priorities, funding and ways of knowing. Systems mapping makes systems visible through an iterative process of developing a model of the ecosystem with members of that system. This paper pays attention to members, their contributions, and the relations between them, as well as identifying interdependencies and leverage points in the system.

Author

• Moira Vincenza Faul, NORRAG, Graduate Institute