Abstract
Since the 1980s, many European countries have shifted significant responsibilities for education and social policy — including early care and education (ECE) — from the central state to lower levels of government. This chapter explores the origins and consequences of decentralisation of early care and education in France and Sweden between 1980 and 2005.1 Decentralisation refers to the extent to which the authority (e.g., administration, staffing, regulation, quality assurance, provision) has been delegated to subnational levels of government, and, sometimes, to the school or programme level. First, I discuss the process of decentralisation of ECE in France and Sweden since the 1980s, with special attention to the actors and institutions involved. Second, I compare the implications of these governance changes in both countries for ECE policy and politics.
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© 2009 Michelle J. Neuman
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Neuman, M.J. (2009). The Politics of (De)centralisation: Early Care and Education in France and Sweden. In: Scheiwe, K., Willekens, H. (eds) Childcare and Preschool Development in Europe. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230232778_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230232778_10
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-35926-4
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