Education and Public Policy in Australia

Education and Public Policy in Australia
Author: Simon Marginson
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 308
Release: 1993
Genre: Education
ISBN: 9780521439633

This book summarises and analyses the major issues in Australian education policy today.

The Quest for Revolution in Australian Schooling Policy

The Quest for Revolution in Australian Schooling Policy
Author: GLENN C. SAVAGE
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 216
Release: 2020-12-30
Genre: Education and state
ISBN: 9780367691318

This book seeks to critically examine the impacts of 'grand designs' in public policy through a detailed historical analysis of Australian schooling reforms since the 'education revolution' agenda was introduced by the federal government in the late 2000s. Combining policy analyses and interviews with senior policy makers and ministerial advisors centrally involved in the reforms, it offers a detailed interpretive analysis of the complexities of policy evolution and assemblage. The book argues that the education revolution sought to impose a new order on Australian schooling by aligning state and territory systems to common policies and processes in areas including curriculum, assessment, funding, reporting and teaching. Using a theory and critique of 'alignment thinking' in public policy, Savage shows how the education revolution and subsequent reforms have been underpinned by uncritical faith in the power of nationally aligned data, evidence and standards to improve policies and unite systems around practices 'proven to work'. The result is a new national policy assemblage that has deeply reshaped the making and doing of schooling policy in the nation, generating complex questions about who is steering the ship of education into the future. The Quest for Revolution in Australian Schooling Policy is a must read for education policy researchers, policy makers, education ministers and school leaders, and will appeal to anyone with an interest in the complex power dynamics that underpin schooling reforms.

An Introduction to Australian Public Policy

An Introduction to Australian Public Policy
Author: Sarah Maddison
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 295
Release: 2013-05-31
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1107276942

The public policy arena is a complex framework of actors, politics and instruments. An Introduction to Australian Public Policy, Second Edition examines the broad range of models, influences and players that shape the development of public policy in Australia, and equips students with a working knowledge of both the theoretical underpinnings and real-world challenges of the field. Fully revised and updated, the new edition addresses the diverse approaches to policy formulation required by different practitioners and institutions. Accessible and engaging, this edition includes: a new chapter on policy evaluation; practical exercises on how to write policy briefs and media releases and eleven new, concise case studies from Australia's top public policy practitioners. The book is accompanied by a companion website which contains chapter summaries and a glossary. Widely regarded as the best introduction to Australian public policy available, the book is an essential resource for undergraduate students of politics and policy workers.

Successful Public Policy

Successful Public Policy
Author: Joannah Luetjens
Publisher: ANU Press
Total Pages: 551
Release: 2019-04-30
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1760462799

In Australia and New Zealand, many public projects, programs and services perform well. But these cases are consistently underexposed and understudied. We cannot properly ‘see’—let alone recognise and explain—variations in government performance when media, political and academic discourses are saturated with accounts of their shortcomings and failures, but are next to silent on their achievements. Successful Public Policy: Lessons from Australia and New Zealand helps to turn that tide. It aims to reset the agenda for teaching, research and dialogue on public policy performance. This is done through a series of close-up, in-depth and carefully chosen case study accounts of the genesis and evolution of stand-out public policy achievements, across a range of sectors within Australia and New Zealand. Through these accounts, written by experts from both countries, we engage with the conceptual, methodological and theoretical challenges that have plagued extant research seeking to evaluate, explain and design successful public policy. Studies of public policy successes are rare—not just in Australia and New Zealand, but the world over. This book is embedded in a broader project exploring policy successes globally; its companion volume, Great Policy Successes (edited by Paul ‘t Hart and Mallory Compton), is published by Oxford University Press (2019).

Learning Policy, Doing Policy

Learning Policy, Doing Policy
Author: Trish Mercer
Publisher: ANU Press
Total Pages: 352
Release: 2021-03-18
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 176046421X

When it comes to policymaking, public servants have traditionally learned ‘on the job’, with practical experience and tacit knowledge valued over theory-based learning and academic analysis. Yet increasing numbers of public servants are undertaking policy training through postgraduate qualifications and/or through short courses in policy training. Learning Policy, Doing Policy explores how policy theory is understood by practitioners and how it influences their practice. The book brings together insights from research, teaching and practice on an issue that has so far been understudied. Contributors include Australian and international policy scholars, and current and former practitioners from government agencies. The first part of the book focuses on theorising, teaching and learning about the policymaking process; the second part outlines how current and former practitioners have employed policy process theory in the form of models or frameworks to guide and analyse policymaking in practice; and the final part examines how policy theory insights can assist policy practitioners. In exploring how policy process theory is developed, taught and taken into policymaking practice, Learning Policy, Doing Policy draws on the expertise of academics and practitioners, and also ‘pracademics’ who often serve as a bridge between the academy and government. It draws on a range of both conceptual and applied examples. Its themes are highly relevant for both individuals and institutions, and reflect trends towards a stronger professional ethos in the Australian Public Service. This book is a timely resource for policy scholars, teaching academics, students and policy practitioners.

Teaching and Learning in Higher Education in India and Australia

Teaching and Learning in Higher Education in India and Australia
Author: James Arvanitakis
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 158
Release: 2019-07-11
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1000024091

This book presents insights into the current state of higher education, emerging pedagogies and innovative technology-driven learning techniques in research and teaching. Focussing specifically on the higher education models in India and Australia, the volume explores concerns and policy interventions that will help promote research capability and culture. Globalisation, rise of information technology and the massification of education has shifted the foundations of higher education and universities in the world. This volume examines the best support structures that will allow educators to face the challenge of the increasingly diverse community of learners and teachers entering higher education; their varied levels of aspirations and expectations; the influence of technology in pedagogical practices; and the shrinking funds for teaching and research. By using case studies from India and Australia the book also looks at the benefits of cross-cultural collaborations in research and education. Comprehensive and resourceful, this volume will be useful for academics and scholars of education, higher education and research, sociology, public policy, development studies and for NGOs and think tanks working in these areas.

Learning in Public Policy

Learning in Public Policy
Author: Claire A. Dunlop
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2018-05-14
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9783319762098

This book explains the causal pathways, the mechanisms and the politics that define the quantity and quality of policy learning. A rich collection of case studies structured around a strong conceptual architecture, the volume comprises fresh, original, empirical evidence for a large number of countries, sectors and multi-level governance settings including the European Commission, the European Union, and individual countries across Europe, Australia, Canada and Brazil. The theoretically diverse chapters address both the presence of learning and its pathologies, deploying state-of-the-art methods, including process tracing, diffusion models, and fuzzy-set techniques.

Federalism and Public Policy

Federalism and Public Policy
Author: Neil Marshall
Publisher:
Total Pages: 278
Release: 1992
Genre: Education, Higher
ISBN:

This collection of 12 papers examines the governance and funding of higher education in Australia, focusing on the national education reforms of 1987-88 and their effect on universities. Papers include: (1) "Higher Education in International Perspective" (David M. Cameron); (2) "Governance and Funding of Higher Education" (David Kemp); (3) "Funding Higher Education" (Peter Baldwin); (4) "Intergovernmental Relations in Australian Higher Education: A Critique" (Neil Marshall); (5) "Governance and Influence in Higher Education in Australia" (Leo West); (6) "Changing Commonwealth-State Roles in Higher Education: A Comment on Developments in Victoria, 1988-1991" (Ron Cullen); (7) "Past, Present, and Future: The Australian University in the Twenty-First Century" (Peter Karmel); (8)"Financing Higher Education: A National Program Management Perspective" (Michael Gallagher); (9) "Funding of Australian Universities: Future Diversity and Adversity?" (Gordon Stanley); (10) "The Institutional Perspective: Autonomy and the Interface with Government" (David Penington); (11) "Governance and Funding of Higher Education" (Leonie Kramer); and (12) "Managerialism, Economic Rationalism, and Higher Education" (Bob Bessant). Commentary is provided by Grant Harman, Roger Scott, Ken McKinnon, Bruce Chapman, Frank Hambly, Vin Massaro, Brian Wilson, Rae Wear, and Adam Graycar. Concluding remarks are provided by Di Zetlin, Campbell Sharman, and David Cameron. (MDM)

Open and Distance Education in Australia, Europe and the Americas

Open and Distance Education in Australia, Europe and the Americas
Author: Adnan Qayyum
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 131
Release: 2018-06-26
Genre: Education
ISBN: 9811302987

This book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license. This book describes the history, structure and institutions of open and distance education in six countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, the UK and the US. It discusses how open and distance education is evolving in a digital age to reflect the needs and circumstances of national higher education systems in these countries, and explores the similarities and differences between the ways in which they are organized and structured. It is the first book to make such comparisons and draw conclusions about the nature of open and distance education in the context of various national higher education systems. In a digital era with growing use of online education as well as open and distance education, this book is particularly useful for policy-makers and senior administrators who want to learn about organizing and expanding open and distance education provision. It is also a valuable reference for researchers, academics and students interested in understanding the different approaches to open and distance education.

Australian Public Policy

Australian Public Policy
Author: Miller, Chris
Publisher: Policy Press
Total Pages: 392
Release: 2016-02-17
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1447312686

At a time when neoliberal and conservative politics are again in the ascendency and social democracy is waning, Australian public policy re-engages with the values and goals of progressive public policy in Australia and the difficulties faced in re-affirming them. It brings together leading authors to explore economic, environmental, social, cultural, political and indigenous issues. It examines trends and current policy directions and outlines progressive alternatives that challenge and extend current thinking. While focused on Australia, the contributors offer valuable insights for people in other countries committed to social justice and those engaged in the ongoing contest between neo-liberalism and social democracy. This is essential reading for policy practitioners, researchers and students as well those with an interest in the future of public policy.