ABSTRACT
The authors of this book propose a fresh, theory-rich and systematic approach to education politics in one country. As is our normal, more or less conscious practice, our case studies are comparative in a sense: while doing research in one country, region or locality, we have others in mind. In fact, this is more than conscious: it is the point of our book. We claim that further case studies based on our approach might radically enhance mutual understanding among education researchers as well as policymakers and other colleagues interested in developing their systems. It is our belief that comprehension is the basis of all reasonable and meaningful comparison, explanation and forethought – however difficult that might be to achieve in a complex, contingent and relational issue such as education.
