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Similarly financed - similarly evaluated? - Opinions about privatised school systems in Sweden and Belgium

Levin, Valdemar LU and Peetre, Oskar LU (2026) STVK04 20252
Department of Political Science
Abstract
Both Sweden and Belgium have introduced a liberalised school system, with private schools financed by the public sector. Since this is a relatively uncommon arrangement, our study investigates if public opinions of these systems are now similar in each country. The Belgian system was introduced to guarantee religious freedom in the provision of education, while its Swedish equivalent was promised to improve school results through increased competition. We conducted a qualitative content analysis of texts from different thinktanks in each country. Our material was classified according to a theoretical framework which contrasted different motives for liberalisation. This framework was also modified to specifically account for the arguments... (More)
Both Sweden and Belgium have introduced a liberalised school system, with private schools financed by the public sector. Since this is a relatively uncommon arrangement, our study investigates if public opinions of these systems are now similar in each country. The Belgian system was introduced to guarantee religious freedom in the provision of education, while its Swedish equivalent was promised to improve school results through increased competition. We conducted a qualitative content analysis of texts from different thinktanks in each country. Our material was classified according to a theoretical framework which contrasted different motives for liberalisation. This framework was also modified to specifically account for the arguments about competition and religion which were prominent in these cases. Our findings suggest persistent differences in educational ideologies between Belgium and Sweden. Religious involvement was more controversial in Belgium, while economic incentives were highly contested in Sweden. Such differences in discourse might be explained by the apparent dominance of Catholic schools in Belgium, and profit-maximising school owners in Sweden. Some similarities were also apparent, regarding debate about segregation and social mobility. A larger study could treat a larger selection of sources, enabling results more appropriate for generalisation. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Levin, Valdemar LU and Peetre, Oskar LU
supervisor
organization
course
STVK04 20252
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
Sweden, Belgium, private schools, privatisation, religious schools
language
English
id
9217172
date added to LUP
2026-01-26 11:51:25
date last changed
2026-01-26 11:51:25
@misc{9217172,
  abstract     = {{Both Sweden and Belgium have introduced a liberalised school system, with private schools financed by the public sector. Since this is a relatively uncommon arrangement, our study investigates if public opinions of these systems are now similar in each country. The Belgian system was introduced to guarantee religious freedom in the provision of education, while its Swedish equivalent was promised to improve school results through increased competition. We conducted a qualitative content analysis of texts from different thinktanks in each country. Our material was classified according to a theoretical framework which contrasted different motives for liberalisation. This framework was also modified to specifically account for the arguments about competition and religion which were prominent in these cases. Our findings suggest persistent differences in educational ideologies between Belgium and Sweden. Religious involvement was more controversial in Belgium, while economic incentives were highly contested in Sweden. Such differences in discourse might be explained by the apparent dominance of Catholic schools in Belgium, and profit-maximising school owners in Sweden. Some similarities were also apparent, regarding debate about segregation and social mobility. A larger study could treat a larger selection of sources, enabling results more appropriate for generalisation.}},
  author       = {{Levin, Valdemar and Peetre, Oskar}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Similarly financed - similarly evaluated? - Opinions about privatised school systems in Sweden and Belgium}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}