The provision, in most industrialized democracies, of public funding for schools that differ from the state system in religion or pedagogy has the effect of encouraging philosophical diversity and school-level decision making alongside a substantial degree of curriculum alignment and with various forms of government protection for the interests of…

This series of articles cites a variety of sources and synthesizes a number of studies related to education and training efforts in both developing and developed nations. (SSH)

A French mayor reflects on how he is confronted with the double needs of training and democracy, becoming the organizer of a vast educational market. He proposes educational reform on the basis of two axioms: (1) decompartmentalization of areas of knowledge and (2) the necessity of learning to learn. (SK)

The nature of military research and development (R&D) is reviewed. Relationships between military R&D and governmental science policy in the United States, France, and the Soviet Union--countries that pursue different science policies and R&D strategies--are compared. Suggestions for a more realistic science policy are presented. (SR)

Discussion of politics of the French language looks at the nature of linguistic politics, offers historical perspective on French linguistic politics, and argues that, in France, language is always linked to the State. Aspects of French linguistic politics concerning the language itself and its role in everyday life are examined. (MSE)

Includes "Partnerships, Configurations and Dynamics in the Creation and Development of SMEs [Small and Medium-sized Enterprises] by Researchers: A Study of Academic Entrepreneurs in France" (Mustar); "The Emerging Paradigm for Technology Learning in the Knowledge Society: The Case of Brazil" (Baeta); and "Italian…

Examines France's trade policies on vocational training at all levels and the role of companies and trade unions in the system. Reveals the complex legal, institutional, and organizational reality of training in France today. (Author)

Reports the findings of a group established to respond to the request of the Secretaire d'Etat a la Famille for proposals toward an early childhood policy. Describes the range of care for French children under three years. Highlights the disparities in terms of quality, availability, and cost. Offers proposals for correcting these problems. (CB)

Considers five major interests at stake in higher education: social justice, competence, academic freedom, autonomy/accountability, and decentralization/centralization. Suggests that the implementation of conflicting interests is less a matter of the relation between the state and higher education than of relations between the academic profession…

This chapter briefly describes the kinds of educational research centers active in France and the types of research they are conducting, then focuses on developments in the field of educational research from 1930 to the present and on the impact research has had on policy and innovations in recent years. In the section on history it is noted that…

The recent Savary Law is regressive and political in a time when the French university system is already overburdened by economic crisis, declining enrollments, recent government mandates favoring research over higher education, poor manpower and curriculum planning, and inappropriate facilities. (MSE)

This group of articles discuss a variety of studies related to vocational training and youth unemployment in both developing and developed nations. (SSH)

This group of articles discusses a variety of studies related to social security and retirement benefits. These studies are related to both developing and developed nations and are also concerned with studying work conditions and government role in administering a democratic social security system. (SSH)

Efforts to reform education in France include proposed changes in teacher education and the teaching profession that are met with a range of responses from skepticism to hostility. The reactions leave the government little room for movement. (MSE)

This series of articles cites a variety of sources and synthesizes a number of studies on the effects of new technologies on the world of work and on social and economic life in general. These studies are related to several industrial nations and are also concerned with the new information-oriented society. (SSH)