The Political Economy of Education Policies in Northern Ireland: Shared Future or Separate Development?

1. Shared Future or Separate Development?The Political Economy of Education Policies in Northern Ireland Dunleath Lecture Queens University Belfast 11 March 2015

2. What is political economy analysis? ’Political Economy Analysis (PEA) is concerned with the interaction of political and economic processes in society: the distribution of power and wealth between different groups and individuals, and the processes that create, sustain and transform these relationships over time.’ (OECD-DAC)

3. Why is political economy analysis important? ‘There is increasing recognition that blockages for effective reform at the sectoral level can be political and that technical solutions alone may not be enough. Governance of a sector, and the way in which politics and institutions interact within that sector, will in practice have a critical impact on sector policies and services’. (DFID, EC, UNDP, World Bank, 2009)* *Foresti, M. and Wild, L. (2009) Analysing governance and political economy in sectors – Joint donor workshop report, London: Overseas Development Institute.

4. An Analytic Framework

5. Context Analysis • Cessation of violence • Devolution, new political structures • Constraints of current governance arrangements • Symmetrical versus asymmetrical policies (e.g. research by Fontana, 2014)

6. NI, Macedonia, Lebanon (Fontana, 2014) Research into implementation of education reforms concluded that: 1. Reforms are implemented by government when they promote values congruent with those of the political system: • Subsidies to private schools (Lebanon) • State-funding to Universities teaching in Albanian (Macedonia) X Unified History Curriculum (Lebanon) X Integrated Education (Northern Ireland) 2. Reforms are implemented when they have a symmetrical impact: • Irish and Ulster-Scots (Northern Ireland) • Promotion of mother-tongue instruction in primary and secondary school (Macedonia) X Macedonian-language classes in Albanian schools from first grade (Macedonia)

7. Stakeholder Analysis SYSTEMIC INSTITUTIONAL INTER PERSONAL POLITICAL STRUCTURES Political Parties DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Education Policies inspectorate, administration, funding curriculum, examinations education and library board(s) SCHOOLS Boards of Governors nursery, primary, secondary, grammar, all ability churches, transferors, trustees, CCMS, NICIE, Irish medium TEACHERS teacher education providers pre-service, in-service, senior management training teacher employers GTCNI, professional bodies, teacher unions CHILDREN PARENTS WIDER SOCIETY (political, economic, social, cultural interests)

8. Policies relevant to transformation • Failure to agree Education Bill and establish ESA • Representation on new Education Authority • Changes to teacher education • Teacher certification and employment • Impasse over Irish Language Act • Implications of separate schooling for equality? • Unequal priority and support given to integrated and shared education?

9. Implications for integrated education? • Shift of thinking from being defined as a sector – a challenge for all current sectors? • Is it possible to develop integrated education in ways that have symmetrical impact? • Focus on systemic change in key policy areas • Press government to ‘promote’, not simply ‘facilitate and support’ – monitor closely • Highlight the economic, as well as social necessity for change in international forums

10. A final word… ….. be in no doubt whatsoever that, in aspiring towards our goal of reconciliation and an end to sectarianism in Northern Ireland, we are going to make it; we are going to get there; we shall do it. We are determined to do it. Let there be no doubt about that whatsoever. It may not happen immediately, perhaps not next year or the year after, perhaps not in my lifetime, but we are going to make it because we are determined to do it. (Lord Dunleath, House of Lords, 16 Feb 1978)