The OECD solutionism and mythologies in adult education policy : skills strategies in Portugal and Slovenia

Mikulec, Borut (author), Guimarães, Paula (author)

The role of international governmental organisations (IGOs) in global policymaking has received significant attention in the field of adult learning and education (ALE) in the twenty-first century, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) was recognised as one of the most influential IGO due to its skill surveys – such as the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). However, while the majority of empirical studies in the field have focused on the analysis of PIAAC data, little attention has been given to the influence of the OECD skills strategies on the development and/or improvement of national ALE systems. This study addresses this gap in two OECD member states – Portugal and Slovenia – by applying the ‘what’s the problem represented to be?’ approach to policy analysis and using the theoretical concept of myth in defining policy problems. Our findings indicate that although both countries’ ALE systems differ, they share problem representations that reinforce several policy myths: ALE is a solution to tackle socioeconomic problems; unemployment is a problem of low-skilled adults; the learner-centred approach is a way to raise participation in ALE, and improved governance is a means to advance national ALE systems.

• Language: English
• Keywords: andragogy, adult education, adult learning, adult learning and education policy, adult learning and education systems, policy myths, skills strategies, OECD, Slovenia, Portugal
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FF - Faculty of Arts
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2023
• Number of pages: Str. 324-343
• Numbering: Vol. 45, no. 3
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-151569
• UDC: 374.7
• ISSN on article: 1470-126X
• DOI: 10.1080/0158037X.2022.2092090
• COBISS.SI-ID: 167386115
• Publication date in RUL: 09.10.2023

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Studies in continuing education
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• ISSN: 1470-126X
• COBISS.SI-ID: 518740505

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
• Description: The most restrictive Creative Commons license. This only allows people to download and share the work for no commercial gain and for no other purposes.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: izobraževanje odraslih, izobraževalna politika, andragogika, komparativna andragogika, politični miti, OECD, cilji izobraževanja odraslih

Projects

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: P5-0174
• Name: Pedagoško-andragoške raziskave - učenje in izobraževanje za kakovostno življenje v skupnosti

• Funder: FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P.
• Funding programme: FCT/MCTES-PT
• Project number: UIDB/04107/2020
• Name: Unidade de Investigação e Desenvolvimento em Educação e Formação
• Acronym: UIDEF