The role of the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the making of educational policy: Kenneth Baker and the Lawson factor?

Ribbins, Peter and Sherratt, Brian (2004) The role of the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the making of educational policy: Kenneth Baker and the Lawson factor? Journal of Education Policy, 19 (6). pp. 715-732. ISSN 1464-5106

Full content URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0268093042000300472

Full text not available from this repository.

Item Type:Article
Item Status:Live Archive

Abstract

The role of Chancellors of the Exchequer in the making of policy is education has attracted the attention of few researchers, and little has been published that seeks systematically and comprehensively to examine this issue. This is remarkable given that, for most of the last 25 years, this office has been filled by four unusually powerful and long-serving figures. In this paper, the authors, drawing on their interview-based studies of the Secretaries of State and of the Permanent Secretaries who have held office at the Department of Education since 1979, consider the influence of Prime Ministers and Chancellors on educational policy over these years. In this context, the bulk of this paper focuses on the role of Nigel Lawson in the making of the 1988 Education Reform Act. In doing so, it draws on face-to-face interviews with Lawson along with other key participants such as Kenneth Baker and David Hancock. It concludes that, although Lawson may not have been, as he had hoped to be, the architect of the Act, he did exercise an important influence in shaping many of its central characteristics. As such, his claim that he was the catalyst of reform may well be justified

Additional Information:The role of Chancellors of the Exchequer in the making of policy is education has attracted the attention of few researchers, and little has been published that seeks systematically and comprehensively to examine this issue. This is remarkable given that, for most of the last 25 years, this office has been filled by four unusually powerful and long-serving figures. In this paper, the authors, drawing on their interview-based studies of the Secretaries of State and of the Permanent Secretaries who have held office at the Department of Education since 1979, consider the influence of Prime Ministers and Chancellors on educational policy over these years. In this context, the bulk of this paper focuses on the role of Nigel Lawson in the making of the 1988 Education Reform Act. In doing so, it draws on face-to-face interviews with Lawson along with other key participants such as Kenneth Baker and David Hancock. It concludes that, although Lawson may not have been, as he had hoped to be, the architect of the Act, he did exercise an important influence in shaping many of its central characteristics. As such, his claim that he was the catalyst of reform may well be justified
Keywords:Chancellors of the Exchequer, Nigel Lawson, Policy-making, Education policy, Prime Ministers
Subjects:L Social studies > L433 Education Policy
L Social studies > L200 Politics
L Social studies > L400 Social Policy
Divisions:College of Social Science > School of Education
ID Code:669
Deposited On:22 Jun 2007

Repository Staff Only: item control page