Description
Book SynopsisPoses an important question: How can we account for successful policy reform initiatives when the political cards are stacked against change? This book shows how the strategic choices of reform proponents alter the destinies of policy reforms by reshaping power equations and undermining institutional biases that impede change.
Trade Review"A welcome and sorely needed addition to the literature on social sector reform. The book has important implications for developing countries as well as for the literature on political leadership, the role of international financial institutions, and even the dynamics of international policy diffusion."
—Wendy Hunter, University of Texas"The book is valuable for political scientists and political economists interested in unpacking the policy process. Grindle's conceptual scheme applies beyond the education sector. It is helpful in addressing broader debates and generalizations about the politics of institutional reforms in general."
—Joan M. Nelson, Senior Scholar, Woodrow Wilson Center, Smithsonian Institution; Scholar-in-Residence, School of International Service, American UniversityTable of ContentsList of Tables and Figures ix Acknowledgments xi Abbreviations xiii A Note on Terminology xvii CHAPTER ONE: A Conundrum: Reform Despite the Odds 1 CHAPTER TWO: From Public Problems to Political Agendas 27 CHAPTER THREE: Sponsoring Reform: Executive Leadership, Formidable Constraints 58 CHAPTER FOUR: Designing Reforms: Problems, Solutions, and Politics 93 CHAPTER FIVE: Contesting Education: Teachers' Unions and the State 119 CHAPTER SIX: Contesting Education: Teachers' Unions versus Reformers 140 CHAPTER SEVEN: Implementing and Sustaining Change: New Arenas for Conflict 165 CHAPTER EIGHT: In Process: The Politics of Education Reform 189 Notes 207 Bibliography 233 Index 249
