From the Publisher
“This timely book successfully tackles the challenge of analysing the complexities of the influence of European governance on national lifelong learning markets through strategic policy coordination. One of its strengths is the multidisciplinary consortium of scholars that contributed their theoretical, empirically informed insights to make it a must read for academics and practitioners alike with an interest in the domestic adaptation of Europe’s lifelong learning markets.” (Pascaline Winand, College of Europe, Natolin, Poland)
“A highly important and timely edited collection on a topic of remarkable and growing significance... Well-theorised and featuring empirical examples from a range of countries and contexts, this book is thoroughly recommended for students and scholars interested in the field of the European governance of lifelong learning.” (Sotiria Grek, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom)
“Through a collection of important essays, this bookcombines a detailed analysis of a range of policy instruments and mechanisms with which the European Union has emerged as a major force in the areas of education, training and youth, with empirically rich national studies of the domestic responses to and adaptations of EU policies. A scholarly, yet accessible, addition to the field that will be invaluable for those seeking to better understand the governance of the European education policy space.” (Manuel Souto-Otero, Cardiff University, United Kingdom)
“It is impossible to understand the governance mechanisms and the complex policy instruments adopted by the European Union without admitting the influence of public management ideologies and its promotion of the ‘entrepreneurial spirit’. Being aware of that impact on education and learning policies the authors make use of an ‘instruments approach’ to better understand the tensions between the Europeanization processes and the domestic adaptation undertaken by memberstates and national institutions. This is certainly a book worth reading.” (Licínio C. Lima, University of Minho, Portugal)
“‘European Union education policy’ can appear as a contradiction in terms. Education policy is a matter of national competence for Member States to determine, and yet coordinating cross-EU education policy is an area where an oftentimes troubled institution has demonstrated some of its most significant impact. This volume, with its focus on adult and vocational education policy across Europe makes an enormous contribution to helping us understand this apparent contradiction. Theoretically robust and forensically sharp, the authors help to open up the EU governance structures that are not only shaping adult and vocational education, but are having a significant impact on European social policy coordination beyond education. The contributions are essential reading for all those interested in education policy at a European level, but will also be of interest to anyone seeking to rediscover and reinvent the potentialities of a more social Europe.” (Howard Stevenson, University of Nottingham, United Kingdom)
