How are global norms translated into domestic policy? An analysis of curricular autonomy in Colombian secondary education

• In Event: Una mirada global y comparativa a la inclusión y exclusión en educación básica

Abstract

Despite some variation, recent education reforms in Latin American countries follow a global trend characterized by a simultaneous devolution of authority over curricular decisions and school choice, and a centralization process through standardized tests. How does this process occur? Sociological institutionalism theorists suggest that this mixing of centralized and decentralized models of governance are mainly the product of international organizations (IO) framing and disseminating global norms about school choice effectiveness, the importance of grassroots curriculum, and the need of evaluation standards to improve educational attainment. These IOs shape domestic policy spreading their ideas by means of soft power such as technical assistance or hard power such as conditional loans. Using archival analysis and open-ended interviews, this research traces the process of IOs’ influence in Colombian secondary education reform since 1970s. Colombia constitutes a crucial case likely to fit sociological institutionalism because this country has been a constant recipient of foreign aid and technical assistance for education. This study finds, however, that Colombia does not just emulate foreign policy prescriptions, but translate them to accommodate old domestic institutional practices. This translation of foreign ideas is also shaped by the power resources of different interest groups with competing interests such as politicians, education bureaucrats, and teachers. Thus, the research suggests the influence of a complex domestic agency in education reform which complements the perspective of sociological institutionalism.

Author

• Claudia Milena Diaz Rios, McMaster University