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Mike Zapp

Université du Luxembourg, Institute of Education and Society, Post-Doc

Stanford University, Graduate School of Education, Faculty Member

Johns Hopkins University, Aicgs, Post-Doc

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University of Zagreb

Uppsala University

University of East London

University of Leicester

Gwen Robbins Schug

University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Gabriel Gutierrez-Alonso

University of Salamanca

Macquarie University

Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul

Swansea University

Jesper Hoffmeyer

University of Copenhagen

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Papers by Mike Zapp

The Scientization of the World Polity. International Organizations and the Production of Scientific Knowledge, 1950-2015. International Sociology. Forthcoming.

While recent concepts from the sociology of science stress novel sites of knowledge production (e... more While recent concepts from the sociology of science stress novel sites of knowledge production (e.g. government, industry), they ignore international organizations’ (IOs) growing research capacity. Conversely, prevailing theories of IOs stress their regulative and normative influence in national policymaking, equally neglecting their scientific work.
Using bibliometric data for a large sample of 1,325 international organizations, this work examines, for the first time, the evolution of scientific output from international intergovernmental research organizations, intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental organizations in the period 1950-2015. Analysis finds a striking increase in scientific activity since the late 1980s and particularly since early the 2000s across organizational types, sectors (e.g. law, nutrition), research fields (e.g. life science, social sciences), output formats (e.g. articles, books) and geographic areas. Indeed, some of these organizations are among the most productive science producers worldwide. Additional analyses of IOs’ research collaborations suggest strong cross-organizational diversity reflecting wider trends of scientific internationalization and integration. We argue that IOs’ scientization require a thorough revision of theories of institutional change in science and research systems and of theories about the nature and role of IOs. IOs reflect and, indeed, spearhead, wider trends of the rationalization of social order and evidence-based global governance.

How does research evaluation impact educational research? Exploring intended and unintended consequences of research assessment in the United Kingdom, 1986–2014

by Mike Zapp, Justin J.W. Powell, and Marcelo Marques

Research evaluation systems in many countries aim to improve the quality of higher education. Amo... more Research evaluation systems in many countries aim to improve the quality of higher education. Among the first of such systems, the UK's Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) dating from 1986 is now the Research Excellence Framework (REF). Highly institutionalised, it transforms research to be more accountable. While numerous studies describe the system's effects at different levels, this longitudinal analysis examines the gradual institutionalisation and (un)intended consequences of the system from 1986 to 2014. First, we analyse historically RAE/REF's rationale, formalisation, standardisation, and transparency, framing it as a strong research evaluation system. Second, we locate the multidisciplinary field of education, analysing the submission behaviour (staff, outputs, funding) of departments of education over time to find decreases in the number of academic staff

Beyond large-scale achievement testing – The 'psychological turn' in international organizations' work on educational assessment. In: Wiseman, A. et al. (ed) Cross-nationally Comparative, Evidence-based Educational Policymaking and Reform (International Perspectives on Education and Society)

This article puts forward two claims. First, it argues that, historically, the rationale for educ... more This article puts forward two claims. First, it argues that, historically, the rationale for education has shifted from religious and national indoctrination to, in the more recent neoliberal period, human capital and the related notion of individual empowerment. The article argues, secondly, that the recent shift towards individual empowerment is reflected in international organizations' changing emphases (IOs) in education. IOs' educational agenda has undergone various changes since their early work in the 1960s: from the structural expansion of national education systems to the measurement of individual educational achievement through a focus on competencies and, most recently, individual psychosocial development. Based on a content analysis of 60 documents from 38 IOs involved in international education networks between 1990–2015, this work identifies an expanding field of IOs directing attention to the mental capabilities of the learner. The proliferated model of individual actorhood reflected in these novel assessment designs will be presented and embedded in wider discussions about the cultural construction of the individual in contemporary world polity.

Re)shaping Educational Research through 'Programification': Institutional Expansion, Change, and Translation in Norway. (Forthcoming) European Journal of Education.

by Mike Zapp, Justin J.W. Powell, and Jo B Helgetun

(Forthcoming) European Journal of Education.

Educational research in Norway has experienced unprecedented structural expansion as well as cogn... more Educational research in Norway has experienced unprecedented structural expansion as well as cognitive shifts over the past two decades, especially due to increased state investments and the strategic use of extensive and multi-year thematic programs to fund research projects. Applying a neoinstitutionalist framework, we examine institutionalization dynamics in cultural-cognitive, normative, and regulative dimensions over the past two decades using interviews, research program calls, policy documents, and funding data. In the cultural-cognitive dimension, we find references to the knowledge society, the importance of evidence in policymaking, and ideas of quality, excellence, and relevance. In the normative dimension, we find the introduction of new professional and methodological standards, reflecting broader global patterns of academic and epistemic drift. In the regulative dimension, the strengthened role of both government and the Research Council of Norway is manifest in substantial growth in both funding and large-scale, long-term planning, including thematic choices—evidence of 'programification'. The importance of external models has grown in an era of internationalization, yet translation occurs at every level of governance of educational research. This results in a specific Norwegian research model, guided by a mode of governance of programs, that maintains social values traditionally strong in Nordic societies.

Two Worlds of Educational Research? Comparing the Levels, Objects, Disciplines, Methodologies and Themes in Educational Research in the United Kingdom and Germany, 2005-2015. Forthcoming in Research in Comparative and International Education.

by Mike Zapp, Justin J.W. Powell, and Marcelo Marques

Embedded in social worlds, education systems and research reflect distinct national trajectories.... more Embedded in social worlds, education systems and research reflect distinct national trajectories. We compare two contrasting traditions of educational research (ER). Whereas British ER exhibits a multidisciplinary and pragmatic character, German ER reflects pedagogy and mainly humanities-based traditions. Yet, in both countries, policymakers' growing demand for evidence in ER resulted in increased funding, specific research programs, and mandatory large-scale assessments. These have reshaped the field, suggesting more similar ER agendas. Based on a comprehensive original dataset of basic ER projects funded by the main grantmaking agencies in both countries (2005)(2006)(2007)(2008)(2009)(2010)(2011)(2012)(2013)(2014)(2015), we analyze five dimensions: levels, objects, disciplines, methodologies, and themes. We find epistemic drift, with partial convergence characterized by a multilevel focus, multidisciplinary approach, strongly empirical and quantitative methodology, and a premium on teaching and learning themes. The cases remain distinct in exploring systemic questions in a wider contextual frame (UK) or concentrating more narrowly on the individual learner (Germany).

Zapp, M. & Dahmen, C. (2017) The Diffusion of Educational Ideas among International Organizations: An Event History Analysis of Lifelong Learning, 1990–2013. Comparative Education Review.

This article investigates the precipitants of the diffusion of lifelong learning among 88 governm... more This article investigates the precipitants of the diffusion of lifelong learning among 88 governmental and nongovernmental international organizations from 1990 to 2013 within an event history framework. Research on the diffusion of educational ideas among and within international organizations usually uses small-n approaches. This work looks at the large-scale interorganizational diffusion of lifelong learning, an important concept that has until now only been analyzed at the national level where worldwide adoption has occurred around the millennium. This study identifies astonishingly rapid and wide contagious diffusion of lifelong learning originating in core large, global, and Northern organizations with a long history before spreading to smaller, regional, more peripheral and younger ones. Recently, established organizations enter a world rife with legitimized educational models ready to be adopted. This article argues that the massive interest in lifelong learning needs to be explained by the highly institutionalized character of education and the hierarchical organization of the field around core and peripheral knowledge producers.

Muslime in der Psychotherapie

Moving towards Mode 2? Evidence-based policy-making and the changing conditions for educational research in Germany. In: Science and Public Policy.

by Mike Zapp and Justin J.W. Powell

Science and Public Policy, 2017

The 'Mode 2' approach is among the most widely used to analyze changes in contemporary science an... more The 'Mode 2' approach is among the most widely used to analyze changes in contemporary science and innovation systems. This approach suggests that application-driven, transdisciplinary, reflexive, and contextualized scientific knowledge will be produced by an increasingly heterogeneous set of organizations, with universities no longer as dominant. Analyzing the case of educational research (ER) in Germany, which has undergone profound institutional and paradigmatic change since 2000, allows us to ask whether the Mode 2 thesis holds. Considerable investments in 'empirical' research and the top-down setting of the research agenda have, we argue, fundamentally altered the research infrastructure of this increasingly diverse multidisciplinary field, challenging the traditional humanities-based P€ adagogik. Especially based on waves of large-scale assessments of school performance, the rapidly-growing 'empirical' ER field is characterized by quantitative and policy-relevant (applied) knowledge claims. Finally, we identify risks associated with rapid and policy-induced shifts in ER from Mode 1 to Mode 2.

Zapp, M. (2017) Higher Education Expansion and the Growth of Science: The Institutionalization of Higher Education Systems in Seven Countries, 1945–2015. In Powell, J.J.W., D.P. Baker, & F. Fernandez (eds.), The Century of Science: The Global Triumph of the Research University. Bingley, UK: Emerald.

This chapter explores the trajectories of higher education expansion and its political and social... more This chapter explores the trajectories of higher education expansion and its political and social conditions in seven countries, namely China, Japan, Germany, Qatar, South Korea, Taiwan, and the United States of America. The analysis relies on longitudinal and cross-sectional data gleaned from the World Higher Education Database, UNESCO, and the OECD. The countries have seen remarkable higher education expansion in the 20th century in terms of enrollments and the foundings of universities, with particularly strong growth in the immediate post-World War II period and since 1990. For the particular case of STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, mathematics), the chapter shows that in those higher education systems in which growth took off relatively late, universities oriented towards the STEM fields are more dominant than in those with a longer history. Countries with a more recent HE system stress technological development more than those that look back on multiple centuries of HE expansion with their canonical legacies. Comparing these highly dissimilar countries nevertheless reveals important common patterns, and the variable paces of higher education expansion can be explained by national social and political factors driving the institutionalization of higher education and research.

Zapp, M. & J.J.W. Powell (2016) How to Construct an Organizational Field: Empirical Educational Research in Germany, 1995–2015. European Educational Research Journal 15(5): 537–557.

by Mike Zapp and Justin J.W. Powell

Over the past two decades, educational research in Germany has undergone unprecedented changes. F... more Over the past two decades, educational research in Germany has undergone unprecedented changes. Following large-scale assessments such as the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), and a political interest in evidence-based policy-making, quality assessment and internationalization, direct involvement of national decision-makers has led to the establishment of new organizations, programs, funding structures, professorships, and training programs. Thus, a markedly different educational research field has emerged in contrast to the traditional philosophy-rooted, hermeneutics-trained and humanities-based German pedagogy or educational science. Instead, the new paradigm refers to itself as empirical educational research (EER). Thus, we trace institutionalization processes of EER from 1995 through the foundation of the new Empirical Educational Research Association (GEBF), which rivals the long-standing German Educational Research Association (DGfE). Official documents shed light on policymakers’ and funding agencies’ motivations and rationales as they successfully engage in building new research infrastructure. Expert interviews conducted with (inter) national representatives illuminate perceptions of crucial actors involved in the organizational field’s institutionalization. What are the causes and consequences of the emergent EER field in Germany? Extending the neoinstitutionalist organizational field literature, particularly about incipient stages of such fields, we show that a new division of labor transcends national and international as well as governmental and non-governmental borders.

Zapp, M. (2017) The World Bank and Education: Governing (through) Knowledge. International Journal of Educational Development . 53: 1-11: doi: 10.1016/j.ijedudev.2016.11.007

Scholarship on global educational governance and comparative education now systematically include... more Scholarship on global educational governance and comparative education now systematically includes international organizations in the analysis of educational policy-making. The World Bank (WB) has come to be recognized as one of the most important actors in global education due to its size, funding volume and scope of interventions. Much research on the WB's role in educational policy-making is focused on mechanisms such as funding, regulating and imposing educational policies. More recently, analyses begun to direct attention to the WB's role as an institutional entrepreneur and knowledge broker. I will further elaborate this perspective drawing on the main tenets of world polity theory. This work looks at the epistemic role of the World Bank in shaping globally-available and globally-applied educational knowledge. Instead of understanding the WB as an organization that funds, regulates and prescribes educational (policy) knowledge, I stress its role as a producer, manager and transmitter of educational knowledge. Based on analyzes of quantitative data on the evolution of the WB's research and publication record, its knowledge management system and project outreach, I will show that it is one of the world's most important research producers in the social sciences, especially in education. In addition, I highlight its role as a knowledge clearing house, a standardizer of educational indicators and a transmitter of educational knowledge through the dissemination, teaching, application and celebration of specific kinds of educational knowledge.

Books by Mike Zapp

European Educational Research (Re)Constructed: Institutional Change in Germany, the United Kingdom, Norway, and the European Union

European Educational Research (Re)Constructed: Institutional Change in Germany, the United Kingdom, Norway, and the European Union

by Justin J.W. Powell, Mike Zapp, and Jo B Helgetun

European Educational Research (Re)Constructed: Institutional Change in Germany, the United Kingdom, Norway, and the European Union, 2018

This book examines contemporary educational research and its governance, addressing key questions... more This book examines contemporary educational research and its governance, addressing key questions via a multidisciplinary theoretical framework of comparative institutional analysis with original data and applying multiple methods. The authors explore and explain important changes in the governance of educational research and the contents of scholarship in education and related disciplines across Europe since the 1990s. This volume synthesizes findings from a multi-year comparative research project, including in-depth empirical case studies of three distinct educational research cultures evolving in Germany, Norway, and the United Kingdom. The authors reconstruct and compare changing conceptualizations of educational research, embedded in increasingly internationalized contexts of research, and examine shifts in its governance, including patterns of funding, publication, and evaluation. They examine the producers of European educational research and the distinct role of the European Union in constructing a European Educational Research Area, in establishing cross-border networks, and in (re)shaping educational research agendas. Through innovative empirical analysis of programs of research on various levels and education researchers’ collaborations in scientific networks, they provide insights into (supra)national dynamics in education-related scholarship. Theory-guided content analysis of research projects funded by leading national funding agencies and by the most highly developed supranational research funding instrument – the EU Framework Programme – enables the authors to embed findings on Germany, the United Kingdom, and Norway in a broader European perspective.

The Scientization of the World Polity. International Organizations and the Production of Scientific Knowledge, 1950-2015. International Sociology. Forthcoming.

While recent concepts from the sociology of science stress novel sites of knowledge production (e... more While recent concepts from the sociology of science stress novel sites of knowledge production (e.g. government, industry), they ignore international organizations’ (IOs) growing research capacity. Conversely, prevailing theories of IOs stress their regulative and normative influence in national policymaking, equally neglecting their scientific work.
Using bibliometric data for a large sample of 1,325 international organizations, this work examines, for the first time, the evolution of scientific output from international intergovernmental research organizations, intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental organizations in the period 1950-2015. Analysis finds a striking increase in scientific activity since the late 1980s and particularly since early the 2000s across organizational types, sectors (e.g. law, nutrition), research fields (e.g. life science, social sciences), output formats (e.g. articles, books) and geographic areas. Indeed, some of these organizations are among the most productive science producers worldwide. Additional analyses of IOs’ research collaborations suggest strong cross-organizational diversity reflecting wider trends of scientific internationalization and integration. We argue that IOs’ scientization require a thorough revision of theories of institutional change in science and research systems and of theories about the nature and role of IOs. IOs reflect and, indeed, spearhead, wider trends of the rationalization of social order and evidence-based global governance.

How does research evaluation impact educational research? Exploring intended and unintended consequences of research assessment in the United Kingdom, 1986–2014

by Mike Zapp, Justin J.W. Powell, and Marcelo Marques

Research evaluation systems in many countries aim to improve the quality of higher education. Amo... more Research evaluation systems in many countries aim to improve the quality of higher education. Among the first of such systems, the UK's Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) dating from 1986 is now the Research Excellence Framework (REF). Highly institutionalised, it transforms research to be more accountable. While numerous studies describe the system's effects at different levels, this longitudinal analysis examines the gradual institutionalisation and (un)intended consequences of the system from 1986 to 2014. First, we analyse historically RAE/REF's rationale, formalisation, standardisation, and transparency, framing it as a strong research evaluation system. Second, we locate the multidisciplinary field of education, analysing the submission behaviour (staff, outputs, funding) of departments of education over time to find decreases in the number of academic staff

Beyond large-scale achievement testing – The 'psychological turn' in international organizations' work on educational assessment. In: Wiseman, A. et al. (ed) Cross-nationally Comparative, Evidence-based Educational Policymaking and Reform (International Perspectives on Education and Society)

This article puts forward two claims. First, it argues that, historically, the rationale for educ... more This article puts forward two claims. First, it argues that, historically, the rationale for education has shifted from religious and national indoctrination to, in the more recent neoliberal period, human capital and the related notion of individual empowerment. The article argues, secondly, that the recent shift towards individual empowerment is reflected in international organizations' changing emphases (IOs) in education. IOs' educational agenda has undergone various changes since their early work in the 1960s: from the structural expansion of national education systems to the measurement of individual educational achievement through a focus on competencies and, most recently, individual psychosocial development. Based on a content analysis of 60 documents from 38 IOs involved in international education networks between 1990–2015, this work identifies an expanding field of IOs directing attention to the mental capabilities of the learner. The proliferated model of individual actorhood reflected in these novel assessment designs will be presented and embedded in wider discussions about the cultural construction of the individual in contemporary world polity.

Re)shaping Educational Research through 'Programification': Institutional Expansion, Change, and Translation in Norway. (Forthcoming) European Journal of Education.

by Mike Zapp, Justin J.W. Powell, and Jo B Helgetun

(Forthcoming) European Journal of Education.

Educational research in Norway has experienced unprecedented structural expansion as well as cogn... more Educational research in Norway has experienced unprecedented structural expansion as well as cognitive shifts over the past two decades, especially due to increased state investments and the strategic use of extensive and multi-year thematic programs to fund research projects. Applying a neoinstitutionalist framework, we examine institutionalization dynamics in cultural-cognitive, normative, and regulative dimensions over the past two decades using interviews, research program calls, policy documents, and funding data. In the cultural-cognitive dimension, we find references to the knowledge society, the importance of evidence in policymaking, and ideas of quality, excellence, and relevance. In the normative dimension, we find the introduction of new professional and methodological standards, reflecting broader global patterns of academic and epistemic drift. In the regulative dimension, the strengthened role of both government and the Research Council of Norway is manifest in substantial growth in both funding and large-scale, long-term planning, including thematic choices—evidence of 'programification'. The importance of external models has grown in an era of internationalization, yet translation occurs at every level of governance of educational research. This results in a specific Norwegian research model, guided by a mode of governance of programs, that maintains social values traditionally strong in Nordic societies.

Two Worlds of Educational Research? Comparing the Levels, Objects, Disciplines, Methodologies and Themes in Educational Research in the United Kingdom and Germany, 2005-2015. Forthcoming in Research in Comparative and International Education.

by Mike Zapp, Justin J.W. Powell, and Marcelo Marques

Embedded in social worlds, education systems and research reflect distinct national trajectories.... more Embedded in social worlds, education systems and research reflect distinct national trajectories. We compare two contrasting traditions of educational research (ER). Whereas British ER exhibits a multidisciplinary and pragmatic character, German ER reflects pedagogy and mainly humanities-based traditions. Yet, in both countries, policymakers' growing demand for evidence in ER resulted in increased funding, specific research programs, and mandatory large-scale assessments. These have reshaped the field, suggesting more similar ER agendas. Based on a comprehensive original dataset of basic ER projects funded by the main grantmaking agencies in both countries (2005)(2006)(2007)(2008)(2009)(2010)(2011)(2012)(2013)(2014)(2015), we analyze five dimensions: levels, objects, disciplines, methodologies, and themes. We find epistemic drift, with partial convergence characterized by a multilevel focus, multidisciplinary approach, strongly empirical and quantitative methodology, and a premium on teaching and learning themes. The cases remain distinct in exploring systemic questions in a wider contextual frame (UK) or concentrating more narrowly on the individual learner (Germany).

Zapp, M. & Dahmen, C. (2017) The Diffusion of Educational Ideas among International Organizations: An Event History Analysis of Lifelong Learning, 1990–2013. Comparative Education Review.

This article investigates the precipitants of the diffusion of lifelong learning among 88 governm... more This article investigates the precipitants of the diffusion of lifelong learning among 88 governmental and nongovernmental international organizations from 1990 to 2013 within an event history framework. Research on the diffusion of educational ideas among and within international organizations usually uses small-n approaches. This work looks at the large-scale interorganizational diffusion of lifelong learning, an important concept that has until now only been analyzed at the national level where worldwide adoption has occurred around the millennium. This study identifies astonishingly rapid and wide contagious diffusion of lifelong learning originating in core large, global, and Northern organizations with a long history before spreading to smaller, regional, more peripheral and younger ones. Recently, established organizations enter a world rife with legitimized educational models ready to be adopted. This article argues that the massive interest in lifelong learning needs to be explained by the highly institutionalized character of education and the hierarchical organization of the field around core and peripheral knowledge producers.

Muslime in der Psychotherapie

Moving towards Mode 2? Evidence-based policy-making and the changing conditions for educational research in Germany. In: Science and Public Policy.

by Mike Zapp and Justin J.W. Powell

Science and Public Policy, 2017

The 'Mode 2' approach is among the most widely used to analyze changes in contemporary science an... more The 'Mode 2' approach is among the most widely used to analyze changes in contemporary science and innovation systems. This approach suggests that application-driven, transdisciplinary, reflexive, and contextualized scientific knowledge will be produced by an increasingly heterogeneous set of organizations, with universities no longer as dominant. Analyzing the case of educational research (ER) in Germany, which has undergone profound institutional and paradigmatic change since 2000, allows us to ask whether the Mode 2 thesis holds. Considerable investments in 'empirical' research and the top-down setting of the research agenda have, we argue, fundamentally altered the research infrastructure of this increasingly diverse multidisciplinary field, challenging the traditional humanities-based P€ adagogik. Especially based on waves of large-scale assessments of school performance, the rapidly-growing 'empirical' ER field is characterized by quantitative and policy-relevant (applied) knowledge claims. Finally, we identify risks associated with rapid and policy-induced shifts in ER from Mode 1 to Mode 2.

Zapp, M. (2017) Higher Education Expansion and the Growth of Science: The Institutionalization of Higher Education Systems in Seven Countries, 1945–2015. In Powell, J.J.W., D.P. Baker, & F. Fernandez (eds.), The Century of Science: The Global Triumph of the Research University. Bingley, UK: Emerald.

This chapter explores the trajectories of higher education expansion and its political and social... more This chapter explores the trajectories of higher education expansion and its political and social conditions in seven countries, namely China, Japan, Germany, Qatar, South Korea, Taiwan, and the United States of America. The analysis relies on longitudinal and cross-sectional data gleaned from the World Higher Education Database, UNESCO, and the OECD. The countries have seen remarkable higher education expansion in the 20th century in terms of enrollments and the foundings of universities, with particularly strong growth in the immediate post-World War II period and since 1990. For the particular case of STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, mathematics), the chapter shows that in those higher education systems in which growth took off relatively late, universities oriented towards the STEM fields are more dominant than in those with a longer history. Countries with a more recent HE system stress technological development more than those that look back on multiple centuries of HE expansion with their canonical legacies. Comparing these highly dissimilar countries nevertheless reveals important common patterns, and the variable paces of higher education expansion can be explained by national social and political factors driving the institutionalization of higher education and research.

Zapp, M. & J.J.W. Powell (2016) How to Construct an Organizational Field: Empirical Educational Research in Germany, 1995–2015. European Educational Research Journal 15(5): 537–557.

by Mike Zapp and Justin J.W. Powell

Over the past two decades, educational research in Germany has undergone unprecedented changes. F... more Over the past two decades, educational research in Germany has undergone unprecedented changes. Following large-scale assessments such as the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), and a political interest in evidence-based policy-making, quality assessment and internationalization, direct involvement of national decision-makers has led to the establishment of new organizations, programs, funding structures, professorships, and training programs. Thus, a markedly different educational research field has emerged in contrast to the traditional philosophy-rooted, hermeneutics-trained and humanities-based German pedagogy or educational science. Instead, the new paradigm refers to itself as empirical educational research (EER). Thus, we trace institutionalization processes of EER from 1995 through the foundation of the new Empirical Educational Research Association (GEBF), which rivals the long-standing German Educational Research Association (DGfE). Official documents shed light on policymakers’ and funding agencies’ motivations and rationales as they successfully engage in building new research infrastructure. Expert interviews conducted with (inter) national representatives illuminate perceptions of crucial actors involved in the organizational field’s institutionalization. What are the causes and consequences of the emergent EER field in Germany? Extending the neoinstitutionalist organizational field literature, particularly about incipient stages of such fields, we show that a new division of labor transcends national and international as well as governmental and non-governmental borders.

Zapp, M. (2017) The World Bank and Education: Governing (through) Knowledge. International Journal of Educational Development . 53: 1-11: doi: 10.1016/j.ijedudev.2016.11.007

Scholarship on global educational governance and comparative education now systematically include... more Scholarship on global educational governance and comparative education now systematically includes international organizations in the analysis of educational policy-making. The World Bank (WB) has come to be recognized as one of the most important actors in global education due to its size, funding volume and scope of interventions. Much research on the WB's role in educational policy-making is focused on mechanisms such as funding, regulating and imposing educational policies. More recently, analyses begun to direct attention to the WB's role as an institutional entrepreneur and knowledge broker. I will further elaborate this perspective drawing on the main tenets of world polity theory. This work looks at the epistemic role of the World Bank in shaping globally-available and globally-applied educational knowledge. Instead of understanding the WB as an organization that funds, regulates and prescribes educational (policy) knowledge, I stress its role as a producer, manager and transmitter of educational knowledge. Based on analyzes of quantitative data on the evolution of the WB's research and publication record, its knowledge management system and project outreach, I will show that it is one of the world's most important research producers in the social sciences, especially in education. In addition, I highlight its role as a knowledge clearing house, a standardizer of educational indicators and a transmitter of educational knowledge through the dissemination, teaching, application and celebration of specific kinds of educational knowledge.

European Educational Research (Re)Constructed: Institutional Change in Germany, the United Kingdom, Norway, and the European Union

European Educational Research (Re)Constructed: Institutional Change in Germany, the United Kingdom, Norway, and the European Union

by Justin J.W. Powell, Mike Zapp, and Jo B Helgetun

European Educational Research (Re)Constructed: Institutional Change in Germany, the United Kingdom, Norway, and the European Union, 2018

This book examines contemporary educational research and its governance, addressing key questions... more This book examines contemporary educational research and its governance, addressing key questions via a multidisciplinary theoretical framework of comparative institutional analysis with original data and applying multiple methods. The authors explore and explain important changes in the governance of educational research and the contents of scholarship in education and related disciplines across Europe since the 1990s. This volume synthesizes findings from a multi-year comparative research project, including in-depth empirical case studies of three distinct educational research cultures evolving in Germany, Norway, and the United Kingdom. The authors reconstruct and compare changing conceptualizations of educational research, embedded in increasingly internationalized contexts of research, and examine shifts in its governance, including patterns of funding, publication, and evaluation. They examine the producers of European educational research and the distinct role of the European Union in constructing a European Educational Research Area, in establishing cross-border networks, and in (re)shaping educational research agendas. Through innovative empirical analysis of programs of research on various levels and education researchers’ collaborations in scientific networks, they provide insights into (supra)national dynamics in education-related scholarship. Theory-guided content analysis of research projects funded by leading national funding agencies and by the most highly developed supranational research funding instrument – the EU Framework Programme – enables the authors to embed findings on Germany, the United Kingdom, and Norway in a broader European perspective.