This thesis explores the reform of 14+ qualifications in England and Wales over the last decade.' I argue that the qualifications system has moved through different phases of development and is emerging, in the late 1990s, as a 'linked system'. Using a historical approach to periodising qualifications change, I argue that the 14+ qualifications system has moved through six phases of national policy development since the late 1970s - a precursor two-track phase, a prevocational phase, dualist strategy phase, a triple-track phase, a review phase and now a linkages phase. I go on to argue that these policy phases should also be viewed as constituting three 'overlapping eras' - the New Vocationalism, formally divided systems and unification. The concept of overlapping eras shows how there can be a co-existence of different policy initiatives and debates. The thesis goes on to argue that the dynamics of change, which move policy between phases and eras, are caused by external factors, internal system factors (reactions to of previous reforms and system weaknesses and the knock-on effect of reforms in other parts of the education and training system) and through the role of ideological interpretation. Using this approach to policy change, I argue that as the education and training system expands, internal system factors become more important than external factors as determinants of change. I conclude the thesis with three arguments: first, that the English qualifications system is currently poised between a flexible multi-track system and a unified system; second, there is a strong momentum building within the education and training system to move further towards unification; and third, there is a debate taking place about the type of unification strategy most appropriate to the English context and which can respond to the growing policy emphasis on lifelong learning.

This thesis begins by exploring the notion of ‘The Big Society’ promoted by David Cameron at the time of the UK general election in May 2010 and arguably one of the most significant ideological themes to have emerged from the British Conservative Party in recent years. This conceptual analysis then explores the intellectual antecedents which inform Big Society ideology, arguing that the eclectic nature of Conservative Party thinking draws on liberal, conservative, radical and socialist models of community, civil society and the role of the state in relation to these. Theoretical models such as Lévi Strauss’s (1962) model of bricolage, Hall’s (1998) agency of political ideas and Vidovich’s (2007) ‘hybridised model’ help uncover the contradictions and limitations in Big Society policy-making and implementation. The thesis argues that there is a distinct silence in relation to the role of capitalism, either in the historical narratives or its place in the new political order that makes up the Big Society. Absent also, is any clear notion of the role and contribution of education in this context. Analysis of Secretary of State Michael Gove’s education policy 2010-2014, demonstrates that an education system constructed on notions of freedom, responsibility and fairness may have radically changed the education landscape in England but has ultimately failed to stem the tide of neo-liberal hegemony, the effects of which the Big Society attempted to ameliorate.

The Primary Education Stipend Programme (PESP) receives accolades and support from the government and policy partners (such as ADB, World Bank, DFID) in spite of deficiencies in its implementation. The general impression is that the programme is increasing equitable access to quality education for poor children. However, there is no study to understand how and to what extent PESP receiving children are benefiting and how it influences and affects the school. This study was undertaken to understand the policy gap between the introduction and implementation of the PESP by examining parents' and teachers' perceptions of the strengths and weaknesses of the PESP and its effects on teaching and learning, and school management. These perspectives provide a broader understanding of the effectiveness of the programme in realizing its goals. This study uses a qualitative case study approach and selects one rural primary school for in-depth investigation. Three groups of parents of children were interviewed: those who completed primary cycle; those who dropped out of school, and; those whose PESP benefits had been rescinded due to poor attendance and performance. Two parents were included from each group in this study. The head teacher and one assistant teacher are also included in this study to explore the effects of the PESP on the schoolcommunity relationship and school management processes. The study found different types of deception in selecting beneficiaries. The strategy of not including more than one child from a single family is evident that results in many poor children's exclusion from the benefit. Conditionality is used to exclude lowperforming children from the benefit which restricts access to education for a considerable number of poor children and many non-poor children receive the benefit. Thus, the PESP benefits the non-poor people. The amount of stipend money is also found insufficient for ensuring necessary learning materials for the poor children. Lower amounts due to unmet conditionality and other charges at times trigger discord and dispute and hamper children's learning. The stipend money increases private investment in education in the form of private coaching fees. The PESP does not incentivize poor children to learn. In addition, it does not increase the teacher's confidence of their educability or increase children's confidence in their capacity to learn. Rather, a sense of the incorrigibility of poor children has been established and teachers allege deteriorating learning condition in crowded classrooms caused by the PESP. With regard to the parent-teacher relationship, this study finds a bitter antagonistic stance brew between the two groups and creates unintended effects. The teacher and the head teacher accuse parents of not providing adequate support at home and parents allege the school for not providing required care and attention for their children. This mutual disregard affects the teacher-student relationship and undermines poor children's confidence to be educated equally with non-poor children. As a consequence of the conflicting perceptions of the aims and objectives of the programme and the perceived inadequacy of the PESP policy in society, this thesis will look for new insights into the process of implementation and the effectiveness of the PESP policy. This may encourage policy makers to reflect upon the efficacy of the programme as a strategy to increase access and quality education for poor children.

The starting point for the study is concern for the quality of education available to the rural child in Lao PDR. Donor agencies are supporting the Government of Lao in education reform and the study explores how education policy becomes practice in one small, poor, socialist, country. Using a variety of research methodologies based in critical ethnography and including interviews and observations, the study explores some significant discourses that make up the discourse of donor supported education reform. A contention of the study is meanings and ultimately changed practice are generated in action and reaction between constituent discourses, at a number of levels and in a range of contexts. Attention is given to the use and impact of the concept, ‘capacity development’, in development aid and the study questions the inexplicit manner of its use and its negative connotation. Data inspection for this study is based in Fairclough’s procedures for critical discourse analysis, with adaptation to the particular social, political, cultural and language contexts of Lao PDR. The procedure was found a useful tool for following policy into practice at classroom level. The study is also able to question how far either research or policy is emancipatory.

Wayne B. Nottingham, Franklin L. Torney, Jr. / "October 25, 1960." / Army Signal Corps Contract DA36-039-sc-78108. Dept. of the Army Task 3-99-20-001 and Project 3-99-00-000.

This thesis represents the first empirical investigation of the impact of strategic planning on budgetary and resources allocation processes within higher educational institutions (HEI) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It has been shown in the accounting literature that, there is a need for studies to assess the links between university strategies and the budgeting and budgetary control processes of those institutions. Such studies of the strategy-budget connection have been called for by a number of accounting scholars in order to learn more about how HEI can better manage and meet their learning and teaching objectives. In addition achieving these plans and programmes has become more complex in what worldwide is an increasingly resource constrained environment. This thesis develops these issues by adding to the literature in a country not previously studied in this context. The study has constructed a theoretical model, which develops certain significant connections between personal and organisational characteristics, university strategies, the budgeting and control processes, and finally the centralisation of financial and administrative decisions within HEI in the UAE. The research model has several further connections particularly between the strategic planning and budgetary processes. In examining the model the researcher has developed new measures derived from the relevant literature for factors in the strategic planning process, the budgeting and budgetary control process and the centralised nature of management decision making in the institutions being investigated. The reliability and validity of these measures were examined by using several statistical techniques through both pilot and comprehensive field studies. In addition, the study approached five universities and two technical colleges within UAE. The sample included a hundred and fifteen subjects represent senior academic, managerial, and financial staff within UAE institutions. Finally, senior members of Ministries of Finance and the HEI themselves were interviewed in order to objectively assess the impact of these issues on the challenges facing these universities and colleges in meeting their objectives. The present study has found significant linkages between strategic planning and the budgetary and control processes that support the model of this thesis and highlight the actual problems created by any missing link in the strategy-budget connection. This is in addition to discovering other problems associated with the whole planning and budgetary processes within UAE HEI. The thesis found more limited support to the interrelationships between personal and organisational characteristics and, the budgeting and control processes. This is due to the structural and institutional nature of the phenomenon under investigation. Finally this thesis has drawn certain conclusions and recommendations thought necessary to improve the situation discovered.

Bildung ist Menschenrecht – das ist der Kern grüner Bildungsphilosophie. Die Teilhabe an Gesellschaft ist vom Bildungsgrad abhängig. Dieser beeinflusst zugleich die Selbstbestimmtheit des Lebens und das soziale, kulturelle und politische Engagement. Das Recht auf Bildung muss ohne Ansehen der individuellen Voraussetzungen, Herkunft und ökonomischen Möglichkeiten verwirklicht werden. In der Realität ist Bildung jedoch stark von der sozialen Herkunft und dem Geldbeutel der Eltern abhängig, denn die derzeitige Bildungsfinanzierung ist ungerecht. Für einige Ausbildungsgänge wird Schulgeld verlangt, auch Meisterbildung und Weiterbildungsstudiengänge sind gebührenpflichtig. Der unzureichende finanzielle Unterhalt schreckt viele Studierfähige vom Studium ab.

Cette thèse aborde la question de la gouvernance locale dans le secteur de l’éducation au Mali. Elle propose une analyse économique des mécanismes par lesquels les autorités publiques impliquent les acteurs locaux (collectivités territoriales, communautés, services décentralisés et déconcentrés de l’État, ONG…) dans la gestion et la prestation de services publics (éducation). Elle est structurée en trois chapitres, avec comme cadre d’analyse l’économie de l’éducation, l’économie du développement et l’économie institutionnelle. Le premier chapitre donne un aperçu du système éducatif malien à travers quelques indicateurs clés (taux brut de scolarisation, taux net de scolarisation, etc.) et caractéristiques majeures dont les inégalités d’accès. Il mesure également le poids du secteur de l’éducation dans l’économie malienne en termes de dépenses publiques et analyse quantitativement et qualitativement l’offre éducative avant d’identifier les facteurs qui influencent la demande d’éducation des familles.Le deuxième chapitre clarifie le concept de la gouvernance locale et son évolution notamment dans le secteur de l’éducation. Il analyse la gestion du système éducatif malien entre réforme et transfert de compétences et de responsabilités ainsi que les mécanismes de coordination et de coopération entre tous les acteurs. Il décrypte les logiques d’approbation de la gouvernance de l’éducation au niveau local grâce à une étude de terrain menée auprès des acteurs locaux dans la région de Kayes, de Koulikoro, de Ségou, de Sikasso et le district de Bamako.Le troisième chapitre analyse les enjeux et les défis de la gouvernance locale comme stratégie de développement éducatif. Il apporte une contribution à la problématique de la gouvernance de l’éducation par les acteurs locaux, tant en matière d’offre éducative que de scolarisation des élèves au cours de la période 2004-2011. Ensuite, à travers une application économétrique des données de panel, il évalue les effets de l’amélioration de l’offre scolaire sur l’évolution des effectifs. Enfin, ce chapitre évalue le développement de l’éducation au niveau local (région) à travers l’indice de développement éducatif (IDE).Au terme de notre réflexion, nous considérons que la gouvernance locale est un atout pour améliorer certains indicateurs éducatifs, notamment le taux d’accès, le taux de scolarisation, le taux de rétention scolaire, la couverture scolaire du pays etc. Pour autant, à elle seule, la gouvernance locale ne saurait satisfaire ou relever tous les défis éducatifs, tant dans leur dimension quantitative que dans leur dimension qualitative. / This thesis tackles the question of the local governance on the sector of the education in Mali. She propose an economic analysis of the mechanisms by which the public authorities imply the local actors (territorial collectivities, communities, services decentralized and decentralized by the state, the NGO) in the management and the offer of public services (education), while making a contribution of the problems of the local governance of the education. It is structured in three chapters, whit as frame of analysis the economy of the education, the economy of the development and the institutional economy.The first chapter gives to an overview of the Malian education system through some key indicators (rough rate of schooling, rate net schooling…) and its major characteristics of which inequalities of access. It also measure the weight of the sector of the education in the Malian economy in terms of educational public spending and analyzes quantitatively and qualitatively the educational offer before identifying the factors which influence the request for education of the families.The second chapter clarifies concept of the local governance and its evolution in particular in the sector education. It analyzes the management of the Malian education system between reform and transfer of competence and of responsibilities with the local actors, the mechanisms of coordination’s and cooperation’s. It deciphers the logics of approval of the governance of the education at the local level thanks to a study of ground led in the region of Kayes, Koulikoro, Segou, Sikasso and the district of Bamako near the local actors. The third chapter analyzes the stakes and the challenge of the governance local as strategy of educational development. He makes contribution to the problems of the governance of education by the local actors. It analyzes the contribution of those to the improvement of the educational offer and the schooling of the children during the period 2004-2011. Then, through an econometric application of the given of panel, it estimates the effects of the improvement of the school offer on the evolution of children. Lastly, this chapter evaluates the development of education at the local level through the index of educational development (IDE). In the term of our reflection, we consider that the local governance is an asset to improve certain educational indicators, in particular the rate of access, the rate of schooling, the school rate of retention, the school cover of country etc. for as much, it only the local governance could not satisfy or take up all the educational challenges, as well in their quantitative dimension as in their qualitative dimension.

Within the disciplines of education and political science, the phenomenon of the voluntary transfer of policy ideas or practices from elsewhere, or “policy borrowing”, is often the topic of intense debate and study. The study of policy transfer also has strong links with the field of diffusion. Scholars in these fields study cases of policy transfer to understand (1) what motives and mechanisms cause policy diffusion and transfer, and (2) how policies are adapted, or reinvented, in the process of being transferred. The majority of such studies have focused on state-to-state cases of policy transfer involving predominantly government actors. Yet, a growing but still limited number of studies have considered the ways policy entrepreneurs have initiated transfer and utilized networks to bring about and implement policy ideas taken from elsewhere. Teach First provides a unique case-study through which to investigate the role of policy entrepreneurs and networks in shaping the process of policy transfer and reinvention. Teach First launched in 2002 as a non-profit organization and innovative teacher training programme based in London. The scheme, proposed and implemented by leaders within the private sector but heavily funded by the central government, was publicly linked to the U.S. programme Teach For America (TFA). Like TFA, Teach First’s purpose was to improve the schooling of disadvantaged pupils by recruiting elite university graduates to teach for two years in under-resourced schools. My research aimed to uncover how and why this policy was first conceptualized and launched as well as how it was reinvented in the process by those individuals and groups involved. Thus, through a case-study of Teach First’s emergence, this study investigates: What roles do policy entrepreneurs and networks play in policy transfer and diffusion processes? and How are policy entrepreneurs and networks involved in reinventing policy during the transfer process? To explore these research questions, I carried out semi-structured interviews with more than 50 individuals from various sectors who were involved in the creation of either Teach First or TFA. After transcribing all interviews, I used a form of narrative analysis to reconstruct the policy story of how Teach First emerged. In the process, I uncovered and accounted for the diversity of motives, institutional pressures, and contextual factors shaping Teach First’s development with a focus on the policy entrepreneurs and networks. Drawing on previous research in policy transfer, innovation-diffusion, and institutionalism to analyze the policy story, I concluded that both policy entrepreneurs and networks were responsible for bringing about transfer of TFA to England and shaping the nature and extent of its reinvention. This temporal process was furthered shaped by the highly politicized nature of initial teacher training in England, which limited the autonomy of policy entrepreneurs and forced further adaptation of Teach First in ways that its original sponsors had not intended. I also discovered that, while the TFA model played an influential role in this process, TFA was not generally used as a guiding model during implementation. Furthermore, I argue that in the process of mobilizing support for Teach First and implementing the idea in its first year, a new network emerged and represented a potentially influential new voice in education. This study aims to contribute to (1) the knowledge of the roles of policy entrepreneurs and networks in policy innovation, diffusion, and transfer and (2) the growing but still limited research on Teach First. This study also provides a foundation for further studies of Teach For All, an organization co-founded in 2007 by Teach First and TFA, which works to spread the programme globally. Through Teach For All, at least thirty-eight other countries now have programmes modeled on TFA and Teach First, though little research has examined how Teach First came about and spread in this way. Finally, the research also illustrates the value of a methodology not often used in transfer studies – narrative reconstruction – through which data is formed into a storied narrative to account for the complexities of the contexts and the socially–constructed views of the diversity of actors involved in policy-making and transfer.

清代乾嘉时期書家王文治（1730-1802）為帖派健將，以一手瀟灑流麗的書法垂譽書史，有"淡墨探花"之稱。其學書歷程漫長、取法廣博，由明末董其昌（1555-1636）開始上溯晉唐，終以王羲之（303-361）為代表的晉人書風作最終堂奧，更直言"書以右軍為宗"。在眾多書法經典中，尤對《蘭亭序》情有獨鍾，認為"禊敘一帖關乎書法源流"，將之置於最關鍵的位置，成為一生臨習不斷的典範。其一生所見、所學、所跋《蘭亭》版本眾多，又以"定武蘭亭"致為鍾愛，自言研究超過二十年。此種書學取態，非但是個人性情之因，亦與當時皇家和文人圈締造的蘭亭風尚有關。 / 本文核心共包含四個篇章：第一章"蘭亭風尚"，從清代前中期皇家和文人圈對《蘭亭序》的刻藏、研究和臨寫，來窺看當時的蘭亭之風。指出時人對蘭亭修禊的效仿已變成雅集的一種，是蘭亭風尚中最為突出的表現之一。第二章"蘭亭情結"，重組三次武昌借園的修禊，集中環繞乾隆五十八年（癸丑，1793）春舉行的"借園修禊"。從王文治的《蘭亭》集詩及書畫題跋中，尤其挪用"歲在癸丑，暮春之初"的年款，探究他對《蘭亭》的深厚情結。第三章"蘭亭品鑒"，先論王文治在考據時風下不依考據，純以"品韻"鑒別書畫的因由與方法；繼而梳理他品鑒過的《蘭亭》版本，分析他"禊敘一帖關乎書法源流"之論背後的含義，並討論他對不同《蘭亭》版本的看法。最後，指出不論何本王文治都視為原帖化身，將之與王羲之緊扣。第四章"蘭亭之路"，則重塑王文治在書壇董趙書風籠罩下，以董其昌為起步，借鑒歷代書家學王之徑，逼近王羲之，進入《蘭亭序》的臨池自運過程。特別詳細分析他如何通過對《蘭亭》的臨寫、集詩和集聯來演繹《蘭亭》，將之化入腕底，最終自出機杼，在清代書壇芸芸帖學高手中脫穎而出。從王文治對《蘭亭序》的取態和學習，可窺看在金石考據學方興未艾、碑學萌芽的時代，《蘭亭》的魅力和位置，從而更全面瞭解十八世紀中國書壇面貌，比起傳統認識上的碑興帖衰，來得更多元並蓄。 / This dissertation is a study of the 18th century Chinese calligrapher, Wang Wenzhi (1730-1802). Being famous for his elegant and graceful brushwork with relatively light ink tone, Wang Wenzhi advocated the Model-book School (tiexue) throughout his life. He regarded the late Ming master Dong Qichang (1555-1636) as his primary source in the study of the Two Wangs tradition. Starting from the works of Dong Qichang and the other calligraphy masters preceding him, he finally traced back to the style of Wang Xizhi (303-361), who was his target. Among all the classical works of calligraphy, the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Gathering (Lanting xu) by Wang Xizhi was his favorite, which he regarded, more than any other, to be the origin of Chinese calligraphy. Wang Wenzhi has seen, studied, and practiced a large number of different versions of the Lanting xu in his life. This interesting phenomenon is closely related to his time, which was a "Lanting fashion" period. / This dissertation includes four chapters. The first one reconstructs the "Lanting fashion" in the 18th century. During this period, both emperors and scholars had great interests in collecting, reproducing and copying the Lanting xu. They also loved to follow and imitate the Orchid Pavilion gathering. The second chapter focuses on the three literati gatherings in the Jie Garden in Wuchang during the 1790s. It especially focuses on how Wang Wenzhi expressed his passion for the Lanting xu during the third gathering in 1793. The third chapter studies Wang Wenzhi’s principle of connoisseurship in calligraphy and painting, and analyses his attitude towards different versions of the Lanting xu. The fourth chapter is about how he learned from and practiced copying the Lanting xu. This dissertation, finally tries to argue that the practice of calligraphy in the 18th century was more varied and diversified than previously thought, the Model-book School being at its most glorious. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / 陳冠男 = Wang Wenzhi and Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Gathering / Chan Kwun Nam. / Thesis (Ph.D.) Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2014. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 177-202). / Abstracts also in Chinese. / Chen Guannan = Wang Wenzhi and Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Gathering / Chan Kwun Nam.