ABSTRACT
This chapter is a contribution to research on the analysis of curricula, and more specifically analysis of the decision-making processes leading to the formulation of curricula in a specific context. It focuses on the institutional level and the programmatic level, and uses a normative theoretical framework, discussing the process in light of theories of democracy. The chapter gives an overview of the international background to educational policy, including the central actors, the OECD and the EU, followed by a brief discussion of theoretical approaches to policy-making. It discusses the two cases: first, that of civic education in Germany and, afterwards, that of the development of the social science curriculum in Denmark. The chapter discusses how we may analyse policy developments in curricula from an international point of view, taking into account questions of democracy as well as the curriculum and Didaktik traditions.
