The Italian middle school in a deregulation era

Modernity through path-dependency and global models

Bibliographic Data

ID11893497
AuthorsMonica E Mincu (Department of Philosophy and Educational Sciences, University of Torino, Via Gaudenzio Ferrari 9/11, Torino 10124, Italy), Monica Mincu (0000-0002-0934-7460, University of Turin, corresponding author)
Year2015
Volume51
Issue3
Pages446-462
Publication date2015-05-13
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueComparative Education (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0305-0068 • E-ISSN: 1360-0486
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/03050068.2015.1033249
OpenAlexW1660538772
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited29

In the current context of intensified moves towards educational deregulation, the configuration of the Italian middle school and its relationship to education governance is an interesting case. Historically, it represents a unique example of the successful ‘decision-making' model of the welfarist era. Despite some internal constraints, at the end of the 1970s it was considered a progressive model of schooling for its time. At present, however, internal institutional processes and path-dependencies have rendered its comprehensiveness relatively formalised and weak. A key finding of this article is that ideas, such as the ‘two people’ theory, have played a crucial role in shaping actors' strategies and goals, while references to world models, in particular the English model, have mediated the reception of global policies. Cultural factors, such as the role played by families, are deeply linked to structural issues and inequalities. An ethnographic account depicts a welfarist institution whose internal processes and links to the wider society may be seen as an example of Italian modernity that ‘speaks for itself’. Fieldwork clarifies the role of the teachers in mediating a path-dependent and cultural reproduction pattern. I argue that partial deregulation is a major source of inequalities at the middle school level, engendered by both new and old mechanisms, which further intensifies a selective path in education. This analysis will show how global deregulation trends meet local and enduring path-dependencies

Context (archaeology · Deregulation · Economic system · Economics · Globalization · Inequality · Market economy · Modernity · Neoclassical economics · Path dependence · Path dependency · Political economy · Political science · Positive economics · Reproduction · Sociology · Global Education and Multiculturalism · Global Educational Policies and Reforms · History · Law · Political theory and Gramsci

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