The knowledge economy is a dominant force in today's world, and innovation policy and national systems of innovation are central to it. In this article, we draw on different sociological and economic theories of risk to engage critically with innovation policy and national systems of innovation. Beck's understanding of a risk society, Schumpeter's…

The authors contest a politician's claim that the National Numeracy Strategy (NNS) in English primary schools has been an undisputed success with no contribution from educational researchers. First, the key role of researchers and research in the development of the NNS is outlined. Then there is a description of the Leverhulme Numeracy Research…

In 2004, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) released evidence that points to arts and music teachers possibly being greatest at risk for leaving their current teaching positions. In classifying teachers as stayers, movers, or leavers, the NCES found arts and music teachers to be the highest of all assignment areas of teachers who…

Government contracting has raised a collection of issues with respect to adequate oversight and accountability. This paper explores one avenue through which contracting agencies may achieve these tasks: through the governance practices of the contractor's board. Oversight and monitoring are a board's key responsibilities, and influencing a board's…

This paper compares the incentives inherent in TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families), the U.S. welfare system in place after the 1996 reforms, with those of TANF's predecessor, AFDC (Aid to Families with Dependent Children), using the experience in one state, Wisconsin, as an example. Is the new program successful in avoiding the "poverty…

In 1997, the Canadian federal government faced a difficult policy problem. It wanted to make greater use of voluntary sector organizations to deliver government programs and to shape social policy. A first question for government was whom in the voluntary sector to engage. Unlike the United Kingdom, Canada does not have a tradition of national…

The number of students who change schools in the course of a year or a few years is astounding. And mobility rates keep climbing. Chicago Public Schools, which have long struggled with high mobility, report that 23% of students who entered first grade in 1999 had changed schools by the end of the year. Four years after entering first grade, more…

In this paper, I identify how the child welfare challenges of Northern Ireland are partially similar to, and partially different from, those in the United States. To do so, I provide a discussion of current US child welfare legislation, critical prevailing themes, and observations regarding the similarities and differences with Northern Ireland…

The introduction of citizenship education to schools in England (and Wales) in 2002 has generated interest and concern among religious educationalists, some of whom welcome the opportunities this new educational territory opens up for religious education and some of whom suspect it augurs religious education's demise. This article reports findings…

The purpose of this article is to outline a framework of explanation of the unique tradition of comprehensive schooling in Scandinavia. All the countries developed an all-through system of education from grade one to nine/ten with mixed ability classes for nearly all. This all-through system of education is a product of a long historical…

This article examines the scope for state intervention in the training and learning environment of young people in initial employment. It reports on the findings of a qualitative study of 11 teenagers entering full-time employment in New South Wales, Australia relating to the breadth and depth of the young people's learning in their jobs, and the…

Through an analysis of both education policy and knowledge creation, this article explores the historical dimensions of two key features of the "new information age." In the field of education, it documents the development of a progressive education policy in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Birmingham, UK. This policy…

Researchers have used many statistical models to determine whether an institution's faculty pay structure is equitable, with varying degrees of success. Little attention, however, has been given to court interpretations of statistical significance or to what variables courts have acknowledged should be used in an equity model. This article…

Fashion is easily understood as something to do with style and consumption. However, the concept of fashion can also be applied when organisations and the change in them is analysed and explained. Universities and their departments adopt different kinds of policy fashions. This article approaches management by results and evaluation in the Finnish…

Indiscipline in political parties is antithetic to democratic consolidation and good governance in Nigeria. This article looks at the reasons and provides examples of actions of indiscipline in political parties in Nigeria and recommends that: the party must be superior to all its members, funding of the party should never be on individualistic…