Papers by Margaret Arnott
Oxford Review of Education
The Story of the Scottish Parliament, 2019
Whatever Happened to Tory Scotland?, 2012
This mixed methods study of the participation of school governors/school board members as 'vo... more This mixed methods study of the participation of school governors/school board members as 'volunteer citizens' examined the influence of volunteers within a reformed system of governance across the United Kingdom, designed to enhance public accountability. In particular, it examined their contribution to school effectiveness and the raising of standards, as well as their influence over local national policy-making. Hypothesising that shared understandings and agreements between all the 'stakeholders' in education are the way to enhance public accountability and raise standards, the research studied ways in which volunteers engage in 'dialogic democracy'; how the institutions of the governance of education facilitate or constrain the 'voice' of volunteers; and how volunteers use their social capital in different regional contexts, at a time of conditional change, to make an effective contribution.<br> <br> The research was comparative acros...
The Governance of Schooling, 2002
Social justice and social policy in Scotland
This book chapter investigates politics and education in Scotland.
The Scottish Government has a clear view of what works in public service design and delivery and ... more The Scottish Government has a clear view of what works in public service design and delivery and has acknowledged that there are many challenges we must face. These include rising expectations, pressure on resources and living standards, public health issues, an ageing population and the impacts of multiple deprivation all of which are critical issues for the future of our public services. We recognise the challenge of making public services work and are taking forward a programme of work to realign services to meeting these needs and new challenges. It is my view that any work to address social isolation needs to be taken forward as part of this broader programme of work rather than as a 'add on'.
Dear Conference Delegate, I'd like to welcome you to this 66th Conference of the Political Studie... more Dear Conference Delegate, I'd like to welcome you to this 66th Conference of the Political Studies Association, held in Brighton. We are expecting over 700 delegates, representing over 60 different countries, to join us at the Hilton Brighton Metropole and The Grand Hotel Brighton. The conference theme is 'Politics and the Good Life'. What does any notion of 'the good life' actually mean in the twenty-first century and is there any sense of a shared vision? Some delegates may well remember the popular BBC sitcom that ran in the late 1970s and was called The Good Life. It starred Richard Briers, Penelope Keith, Felicity Kendal and Paul Eddington and focused around a decision by 'Tom Good' (Briers) to reject the market-driven materialism that he sees all around him and instead to adopt a sustainable, simple and selfsufficient life (i.e. a 'good life') in the middle of Surbiton. It was a comedy with a strong political edge and in many ways many of the themes and issues that were raised in such a humorous way forty years ago have progressed into major political issues and social concerns. 'Politics and the good life' is therefore a conference theme that is at one and the same time simple and yet complex due to the manner in which it raises normative and empirical questions about the meaning of 'good' in relation to the lives of individuals, communities, nations and more globally. It also raises distinctive questions about the notion of individual and collective 'goods' that are quite different and yet clearly related to our conference theme. In order to discuss some of these themes and questions we have some fantastic guest speakers lined-up including, Professor Shirin Rai, Professor Lisa Disch and Íñigo Errejón Galván, Political Secretary of Podemos. This year's Government and Opposition-sponsored Leonard Schapiro lecture will be given by Professor Simona Piattoni, who will consider the EU as an institution of heightened intergovernmentalism or progressing towards 'shared and responsible sovereignty', and political cartoonist, Steve Bell, will address attendees at the conference dinner. I'd like to thank this year's conference convenors-Dr Andy Knott and Dr Michael Neu-for all their hard work in pulling together such an impressive programme of events and panels. Helena Djurkovic, Danielle Bailey and Sandra McDonagh have once again been invaluable in supporting the convenors and I'd also like to thank SAGE Publications and Wiley for their generous sponsorship. Taking forward the theme of hard work, it's been another incredibly busy year at the PSA and I'd like to thank all the trustees, central staff and members for their time, energy and commitment. From issues around research funding, the REF process, Open Access policies through to supporting schools, revising the A-level Politics curriculum and raising the profile of our journals, the activities of the PSA have grown significantly. Added to this is a renewed emphasis on professionalism, ambition and visibility that has created not only new pressures and expectations but also a series of reforms that will increasingly open-up and democratise the governance of the PSA. The Chair's Commissions have exceeded my hopes in terms of delivering a coherent and far-reaching set of possible reform agendas that will ensure that the PSA, as a learned society, is leading the way in terms of being able to respond and manage the pressures that are facing academics, institutions and higher education. I'd like to thank everyone who has contributed to the Chair's Commissions and I'd encourage all members of the profession-whether you are a member of the PSA or not-to engage with the next phase of thinking and planning as we move towards publishing an ambitious ten year plan in 2017. Part of the new PSA approach has been about opening-up the opportunities for internal engagement, participation and discussion. Lots of PSA members now contribute to the work of the organisation in new and innovative waysas non-trustee subcommittee members, as working group members, as mentors, etc.-and we also have elections coming up for positions on the Executive Committee. The process for recruiting the next Chair of the PSA is about to begin but the 'Big' innovation at this conference is the PSA Annual Assembly (Tuesday 22 March at 5.00 at the Hilton Brighton Metropole-drinks and snacks provided). This is a real opportunity for you to come along and not just listen to the trustees but to ask questions, engage in discussion and offer to get involved-but most of all to be part of a rich and positive intellectual community. The PSA Annual Conference is a busy couple of days but I really hope they are an enjoyable couple of days this year in Brighton. As well as attending panels, giving papers and enjoying the keynotes and the annual dinner please do take a little time to enjoy the town and the beach and I really hope your conference experience is thoroughly enjoyable-possibly even a small slice of 'the good life'.
Introduction: School Governance in Comparative Perspective Part I: The Governance of Schooling: T... more Introduction: School Governance in Comparative Perspective Part I: The Governance of Schooling: Themes in Scottish-based Research 1. The Devolved Management of Schools and its Implications for Governance 2. Restructuring the Governance of Schools: the Impact of 'Managerialism' on Schools in Scotland and England 3. Of Myths and Management: Listening to Teachers Talk about their Work 4. School Boards and Governing Bodies: a Vehicle for Parental Participation in Decision-making about Schools? Part II: The Governance of Schooling: Studies in Other Countries 5. Community-active Management and Governance of Schools in England and Wales 6. Schools in Competition: Open Enrolement in an Academically Selective School System 7. School-based Management in New Zealand Schools 9. Governance and Devolution in the Danish School System
Exploring Parliament, 2018
This chapter discusses the role of smaller parties in the law-making process. General elections i... more This chapter discusses the role of smaller parties in the law-making process. General elections in the UK are conducted with an electoral system which militates against the representation of smaller political parties, particularly those having no strong support at the regional level. However, events at Westminster over the last decade have increased the prominence of smaller parties in the operation of parliamentary business. The chapter first considers the role of small parties in the UK Parliament, committees and legislation, as well as their participation in backbench debates before examining how the political and electoral context of Parliament, especially in the twenty-first century, has affected the representation of smaller parties and the ways in which reforms to parliamentary procedure since the 1980s have enhanced the role of the second opposition party. It suggests that Parliament today offers more opportunities for smaller political parties to influence debate and policy...
Roteiro, 2019
A busca da OCDE por um novo conjunto de prescrições para governança da educação está expresso em ... more A busca da OCDE por um novo conjunto de prescrições para governança da educação está expresso em seu projeto de Governança de Sistemas Educacionais Complexos (GSEC) que procura combinar a identificação de melhores práticas de organização de sistemas com narrativas especificas de equidade e qualidade baseadas em mensurações que criam uma “robusta base de evidencias” para a política. Este artigo analisa o conteúdo e a direção do GSEC, considera sua retomada na política na Escócia, especialmente como refletido no rescaldo do relatório da OECD 2015 sobre melhoramentos da educação naquele país e dos resultados do PISA 2016. O texto discute o conteúdo das recomendações, especialmente como relacionam com os conceitos chave de conhecimento, redes e narrativas, e suas tentativas de tradução para a política, e conclui identificando tensões no interior do projeto de governança da própria OCDE.
Oxford Review of Education, 2016
Abstract Nationalism is a key resource for the political work of governing Scotland, and educatio... more Abstract Nationalism is a key resource for the political work of governing Scotland, and education offers the Scottish National Party (SNP) government a policy space in which political nationalism (self determination) along with social and cultural forms of civic nationalism can be formed and propagated, through referencing ‘inwards’ to established myths and traditions that stress the ‘public’ nature of schooling/education/universities and their role in construction of ‘community’; and referencing ‘outwards’, especially to selected Nordic comparators, but also to major transnational actors such as OECD, to education’s role in economic recovery and progress. The SNP government has been very active in the education policy field, and a significant element of its activity lies in promoting a discourse of collective learning in which a ‘learning government’ is enabled to lead a ‘learning nation’ towards the goal of independence. This paper draws on recent research to explore recent and current developments in SNP government education policy, drawing on discourse analysis to highlight the political work that such policy developments seek to do, against the backdrop of continuing constitutional tensions across the UK.
Scottish Affairs, 2016
This article considers education policy under the SNP Governments from 2007–2016. It deals with a... more This article considers education policy under the SNP Governments from 2007–2016. It deals with aspects from primary, secondary and tertiary education. The main approach of the article is to examine the role of education policy within the broad context of SNP governing strategy. Education is treated as a key element of strategy throughout the policy period. The SNP's long-term strategic aim is independence for Scotland. The article examines ways in which governing strategy, and education policy in particular, were used by the SNP within the constraints of devolution during the period 2007–2016. The political background to that strategy changed significantly during the period. The article discusses the opportunities and challenges presented to the SNP in the context of diverging views on education and other elements of economic and social policy within the UK, particularly in the period after the 2015 General Election.
Abstract: The creation of the ,Parliament in Scotland and of ,the Assemblies in Wales ,and
The Conservative-Liberal Coalition
The International Journal of Children's Rights, 2008
This article considers key concerns which have occupied political scientists' analyses of ... more This article considers key concerns which have occupied political scientists' analyses of 'participation'. Children have seldom featured in these analyses. 'Participation' in public policy initiatives have been used as a means of (re)building 'trust' and 'renewing democracy'. In recent years we have seen some shift towards viewing children as direct participants in public policy. There are signs that the government in the UK is including children more directly in policies designed to…
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Papers by Margaret Arnott