The Shifting Relationship between Vocational and Higher Education in France and Germany: Towards Convergence?

in European Journal of Education (2012), 47(3), 405-423

For decades, the skill formation systems in France and Germany have been analysed as contrasting cases because of institutionalised differences in educational values, norms, and governance, as well as in ... [more ▼]

For decades, the skill formation systems in France and Germany have been analysed as contrasting cases because of institutionalised differences in educational values, norms, and governance, as well as in labour markets. This comparison follows the logic of difference, comparing dissimilar skill formation systems in centralist France and federalist Germany. Cross-national variance has often been explained in terms of the institutionalization of vocational education, but higher education also differs considerably. Many typologies of vocational education and training (VET) and higher education (HE) summarise these differences. However, not only are national skill formation systems affected by the emerging European model of education via the Bologna and Copenhagen Processes, but the French and German political economies have also been greatly reconfigured in the last two decades. Comparing the present situation, we ask whether traditional education and training typologies continue to be valid. While they have served as useful heuristic devices, they may hinder recognition of contemporary institutional changes, especially incremental changes that may nevertheless be transformational because of endogenous reforms and exogenous pressures due to Europeanisation. Do these typologies continue to reflect these systems as they evolve? To what extent have the key characteristics of skill formation systems in France and Germany changed, exemplified in the relationship between VET and HE? Have these countries converged? [less ▲]

Internationalization Strategies in Higher Education Systems. A Variety of Capitalism Analytical Framework

in Egbert, Henrik; Esser, Clemens (Eds.) Aspects in Varieties of Capitalism. Dynamics, Economic Crisis, New Players (2010)

Comparing the Relationship between Vocational and Higher Education in Germany and France

E-print/Working paper (2009)

A number of European initiatives aim to create a European educational space, including vocational training and higher education. Following the logic of difference, we ask whether, despite their different ... [more ▼]

A number of European initiatives aim to create a European educational space, including vocational training and higher education. Following the logic of difference, we ask whether, despite their different institutionalization, these two sectors in France and Germany react similarly to the Europe-wide Copenhagen and Bologna processes. We compare the relationship between vocational education and training (VET) and higher education (HE), contrasting a number of influential typologies. Analyzing the current situation, we ask whether these differences in postsecondary education and training systems continue to exist. [less ▲]

Applying the Varieties of Capitalism Approach to Higher Education. A Case Study of the Internationalisation Strategies of German and British Universities

E-print/Working paper (2008)

In recent years the global market for higher education has expanded rapidly while internationalisation strategies have been developed at university, national, as well as European levels, all with the aim ... [more ▼]

In recent years the global market for higher education has expanded rapidly while internationalisation strategies have been developed at university, national, as well as European levels, all with the aim to increase the competitiveness of higher education institutions. This paper asks how different institutional settings explain distinct national patterns found in the internationalisation of universities, observed to be based largely on either market coordination or strategic interaction of the involved actors. Existing concepts from the Varieties of Capitalism literature, such as institutional complementarity and comparative institutional advantage, are introduced to the comparative study of higher education systems and applied to develop a theoretical framework for an institutional analysis of university strategies in the global market for higher education. In a case study, the analytical framework is then deployed to contrast the internationalisation of universities in Germany and the United Kingdom. The internationalisation processes reflect the mode of coordination in the respective higher education systems and national models of capitalism. Further insights are that the conceptual toolbox of the Varieties of Capitalism approach can be fruitfully applied to higher education, and that it is possible to enhance the framework by adding the state as a significant factor in differentiation. [less ▲]

Critic of Amy Gutmann - The Constructive Potential of Communitarian Values for Liberalism

E-print/Working paper (2005)

The view of Amy Gutmann is that communitarians have been unsuccessful in undermining liberalism. However, she thinks that their work presents a welcome challenge to it. In her opinion, the communitarian ... [more ▼]

The view of Amy Gutmann is that communitarians have been unsuccessful in undermining liberalism. However, she thinks that their work presents a welcome challenge to it. In her opinion, the communitarian criticism, rather than giving good reason to abandon liberalism, is of use in an attempt to discover a liberalism that successfully combines communitarian with liberal values. This paper examines the extent to which Gutmann successfully shows that communitarian values, like kinship, affection, or a sense of common purpose, have the latent but unrealized capacity to serve to improve liberalism. [less ▲]