The dynamics of education policymaking: case studies of Burkina Faso, Jordan, Peru, and Thailand, Page 75

Presents The Case For Educating Women Better. Here Are Sound Reasons Why Targeting Funds To Educate Girls And Women Can Yield The Best Investment Returns In The Developing World And Provide Enormous Economic Benefits. The Discussion Explains How Such Funding Can Reduce Environmental Pollution, Fertility Rates, And Female Mortality And Help Prevent The Spread Of Aids. It Describes An Entrenched Cultural Tradition That Denies Girls An Education And Keeps Them From Contributing Economically To Their Families And Their Countries. A Low-cost Strategy To Educate More Women And Girls Worldwide Is Presented, Along With Examples Of Successful Education Programs In Many Developing Nations. This book examines how educational development occurs by analyzing the actions of policymakers and the decisions they make regarding educational change. The book introduces an analytical framework that moves from the predecision and postdecision activities. Four case studies are used to exemplify the process of policymaking. Part 1, "The Analytical Setting," provides a conceptual framework for the book. In part 2, "Country Cases," the conceptual framework is used as a guide for the analysis of decisionmaking in Peru, Jordan, Thailand, and Burkina Faso. The case studies simulate the dynamics of policymaking by recreating real situations describing real events, people, and issues as they pertain to the decisionmaking process. Part 3, "Synthesis," analyzes the lesson to be learned from these studies and identifies the factors that contribute to successful policymaking. This book can be used to: (1) assess existing country policies; (2) evaluate projected policies for probability of success; and (3) train education officers in policy analysis. Contains 9 pages of references. (EH) This book examines how educational development happens. It analyzes the actions of policymakers and the decisions they make regarding educational change; but it does not stop there. Although the point of decision is an important one, equally important are the activities preceding it (analysis, generation of options, bargaining and so forth) and following it (implementation, assessment, possible redesign), as well as the other participants in the process (the consumers and providers of educational services). In order to capture this process of decisionmaking the book introduces an analytical framework that unravels the predecision and postdecision activities. To provide a clearer understanding of the process, the framework is applied to case studies of policymaking in four countries