This article explores the different meanings of "Europe" in Swedish history textbooks over the course of the 20th century. Utilising the concept of myth, this textbook analysis looks at how the older history of Europe, and Sweden in relation to Europe, had changed by the end of the century. In particular, it examines the way in which…

Direct encounters with the natural environment have a long tradition in environmental education. Given that the role and character of these encounters are shaped by the approach taken to environmental or sustainability education, there is a risk that a shift towards pluralistic and political approaches will lead to a neglect of nature encounters.…

In light of the contemporary discussions on the biased relationship between gender and mathematical teaching and learning in the Western world, can we, by means of a reconceptualised early childhood education, influence how young children construct their gendered subjectivities in relation to mathematics? This project has been carried out with the…

From the beginning of the 1990s, the Swedish society has been affected by various changes at various levels. This modified social, political and economic context led to several reforms implemented in the educational arena. These reforms dealt with decentralization, choice, use of market forces and privatization. All these aspects had an impact on…

The teaching-research nexus has been studied by many researchers, mainly looking at pedagogic links and direct benefits arising from the interaction of both activities. The paper takes a comparative approach, looking at the relationship between teaching and research in four universities from two different countries. This paper argues that…

As Sweden drew nearer to the 2006 national election, two themes emerged in the educational debate: a concern for order and discipline in schools, and the ambition to raise educational levels of achievement. The objective of this article is to locate these two themes within a broader framework of understanding by: 1) discussing examples of how the…

Pleads for a more complex conceptualization of the policy process that considers the factors of time, policy areas, level of government, and nation. Available from The American Academy of Political and Social Science, 3937 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19104; $15.00 annually. (Author/IRT)

Adult education in Sweden is closely interrelated with the prevailing ideology in that society. The predominant ideology in Sweden consists of firm and active commitment to lifelong learning, achieving the 'learned society', socioeconomic and political democracy, full employment, individual growth and dignity, and overall egalitarianism. Welfare,…

This paper explores the impact of policies and institutions on employment and unemployment of OECD countries in the past decades. Reduced-form unemployment equations, consistent with standard wage setting/price-setting models, are estimated using cross-country/time-series data from 21 OECD countries over the period 1982-2003. In the…

The 1975 policy decision of the Swedish Parliament to reform universities and colleges followed many official inquiries, particularly the 1968 Commission on Higher Education (U 68), which had tried to solve higher education problems of the 1960s and 1970s. Described is the report of a project that studied the reform's origins. (RM)

Describes recent changes in Swedish system of child care and early childhood education and analyzes them in relation to economic and socio-political context. Argues that early childhood education is an important part of the welfare society, which itself is in a state of transition, with neo-liberal ideas and economic constraints implying financial…

The proposed reorganization of the Swedish broadcasting system (Sveriges Radio) retains the present central management, with the program units assuming the status of wholly owned subsidiaries, thus attempting to protect the integrity of the broadcasting establishment in one integral organization while facilitating decentralization and plurality in…

The problem of measuring efficiency in higher education is of increasing importance due to changes in socioeconomic conditions and rising enrollment rates. Problems of definition are discussed that occur in comparative studies of efficiency. Illustrations are drawn from formulations of the problem in several countries with different socioeconomic…

National patterns of power and control in higher education are key determinants of the conceptions of academic excellence and equality that prevail in particular systems. This paper examines five countries with predominantly state-controlled systems of higher education--West Germany, Italy, France, Sweden, and Japan--and two with mixed control…

The report examines the development and implementation of performance indicators at institutions of higher education, through presentation of position statements on 11 countries: Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and United Kingdom. General conclusions are summarized in an introductory…