Providing better education services to the poor: Accountability and context in the case of Guatemalan decentralization
(2009) In International Journal of Educational Development 29(3). p.187-200- Abstract
- We explore how two community-based reform models align with the World Bank's World Development Report 2004 accountability framework. Using a qualitative case study of rural Guatemalan primary schools, we examine local governance through interviews with a range of stakeholders. While both reforms appear appropriate according to the World Bank's accountability framework, especially the model giving a greater authority to parents, both in practice encounter challenges associated with design issues - mainly human resource management involving both inadequate support and lower compensation for teachers in one of the models - and difficulties in adapting the reform models to local context. Overall, the accountability framework provides a useful... (More)
- We explore how two community-based reform models align with the World Bank's World Development Report 2004 accountability framework. Using a qualitative case study of rural Guatemalan primary schools, we examine local governance through interviews with a range of stakeholders. While both reforms appear appropriate according to the World Bank's accountability framework, especially the model giving a greater authority to parents, both in practice encounter challenges associated with design issues - mainly human resource management involving both inadequate support and lower compensation for teachers in one of the models - and difficulties in adapting the reform models to local context. Overall, the accountability framework provides a useful heuristic and lens to view project design and implementation, but, as with any generalization derived from "best practice," details matter. We discuss the importance of highlighting common challenges of reforms like "decentralization" that, while gaining recognition globally, involve local communities in education management and the importance of local context in determining the success of such reforms. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/1426016
- author
- Gershberg, Alec Ian ; Meade, Ben and Andersson, Sven LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2009
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Educational reform, Accountability, World Bank, Guatemala, Educational administration, Decentralization
- in
- International Journal of Educational Development
- volume
- 29
- issue
- 3
- pages
- 187 - 200
- publisher
- Elsevier
- external identifiers
-
- wos:000265902600002
- scopus:63449098376
- ISSN
- 0738-0593
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.ijedudev.2008.08.002
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 184c0565-8273-4e4f-a813-831a2be4762d (old id 1426016)
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-01 14:50:20
- date last changed
- 2022-02-04 23:05:22
@article{184c0565-8273-4e4f-a813-831a2be4762d,
abstract = {{We explore how two community-based reform models align with the World Bank's World Development Report 2004 accountability framework. Using a qualitative case study of rural Guatemalan primary schools, we examine local governance through interviews with a range of stakeholders. While both reforms appear appropriate according to the World Bank's accountability framework, especially the model giving a greater authority to parents, both in practice encounter challenges associated with design issues - mainly human resource management involving both inadequate support and lower compensation for teachers in one of the models - and difficulties in adapting the reform models to local context. Overall, the accountability framework provides a useful heuristic and lens to view project design and implementation, but, as with any generalization derived from "best practice," details matter. We discuss the importance of highlighting common challenges of reforms like "decentralization" that, while gaining recognition globally, involve local communities in education management and the importance of local context in determining the success of such reforms. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.}},
author = {{Gershberg, Alec Ian and Meade, Ben and Andersson, Sven}},
issn = {{0738-0593}},
keywords = {{Educational reform; Accountability; World Bank; Guatemala; Educational administration; Decentralization}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{3}},
pages = {{187--200}},
publisher = {{Elsevier}},
series = {{International Journal of Educational Development}},
title = {{Providing better education services to the poor: Accountability and context in the case of Guatemalan decentralization}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2008.08.002}},
doi = {{10.1016/j.ijedudev.2008.08.002}},
volume = {{29}},
year = {{2009}},
}