Joachim Wentzel is currently employed as a research associate at the German University of Administrative Sciences, Speyer, where he is affiliated to the Chair for Administrative Sciences and Public Law.

Abstract 5
Contents 6
Acknowledgements 7
1 Research outline 8
1.1 Preliminary considerations 8
1.2 Varieties of capitalism 8
1.3 Recent developments in education policy 9
1.4 Reasons for change 13
1.5 Procedure and basic clarifications 14
1.6 Research design and structure of the book 16
2 Theoretical framework 19
2.1 Introductory remarks 19
2.2 The origins of discursive institutionalism 21
2.3 Discursive institutionalism 24
2.3.1 Ideational component of discourses 24
2.3.2 Interactive component of discourses 25
2.3.3 Putting the pieces together: how to apprehend the nature of ideas 27
2.4 Sequences of institutional change 30
2.5 Drivers of institutional change: the policy diffusion literature 33
2.5.1 Constructivism 35
2.5.2 Learning 38
2.5.3 Competition 41
2.6 Discourse and ideas 44
2.6.1 Ideas 44
2.6.2 Discourse 45
2.7 How do institutions change? Five mechanisms 45
2.7.1 Displacement 46
2.7.2 Layering 46
2.7.3 Drift 47
2.7.4 Conversion 47
2.7.5 Exhaustion 48
2.8 Conclusion 48
3 Case selection: Why comparing England and Germany? 50
3.1 1st set: The ’varieties of capitalism’ and institutional complementarities 50
3.2 2nd set: Education systems 53
4 Education systems in England and Germany 56
4.1 School education 57
4.1.1 England 57
4.1.1.1 Brief historical review of the English school system 57
4.1.1.2 Basic structure of the English school system 58
4.1.1.3 Changes and developments in the English school system 60
4.1.1.4 Main features of English school education 61
4.1.2 Germany 62
4.1.2.1 Brief historical review of the German school system 62
4.1.2.2 Basic structure of the German school system 63
4.1.2.3 Changes and developments in the German school system 64
4.1.2.4 Main features of German school education 66
4.1.3 Comparing both school systems 67
4.2 Vocational education and training 68
4.2.1 England 69
4.2.1.1 Brief historical review of the English vocational education and training system 69
4.2.1.2 Basic structure of vocational education and training in England 71
4.2.1.3 Changes and developments in vocational education and training in England 75
4.2.1.4 Main features of the English vocational education and training system 76
4.2.2 Germany 77
4.2.2.1 Brief historical review of the German vocational education and training system 77
4.2.2.2 Vocational Education and Training in Germany 78
4.2.2.3 Reforms in the German vocational education and training system 80
4.2.2.4 Main features of the German vocational education and training system 84
4.2.3 Comparing both vocational education and training systems 85
4.3 Higher education 91
4.3.1 England 92
4.3.1.1 Brief historical review of the English higher education system 92
4.3.1.2 Structure of the English higher education system 94
4.3.1.3 Reforms in the English higher education system 96
4.3.1.4 Main features of the English HE system 96
4.3.2 Germany 97
4.3.2.1 Brief historical review of the German higher education system 97
4.3.2.2 Structure of the German HE system 98
4.3.2.3 Reforms in the German higher education system 102
4.3.2.4 Main features of the German HE system 104
4.3.3 Comparing both higher education systems 104
4.4 Conclusion 107
5 Governmental paper analysis 110
5.1 Textual discourse analysis 110
5.2 Analysis of governmental papers in England 114
5.2.1 Green Paper "The Learning Age: a renaissance for a new Britain"(DfEE, 1997b) 115
5.2.2 White Paper "Excellence in schools" (DfEE, 1997a) 119
5.2.3 White Paper "Learning to Succeed: a new framework for post-16learning" (DfEE, 1999) 122
5.2.4 White Paper "Schools – Achieving success" (DfES, 2001) 126
5.2.5 White Paper "14-19: Opportunity and Excellence" (DfES, 2003a) 130
5.2.6 White Paper "The Future of Higher Education" (DfES, 2003c) 133
5.2.7 White Paper "21st Century Skills: Realising our Potential" (DfES, 2003b) 135
5.2.8 White Paper "14-19 Education and Skills" (DfES, 2005a) 138
5.2.9 White Paper "Getting on in business, getting on at work" (DfES, 2005b) 144
5.2.10 White Paper "Higher Standards, Better Schools For All: More choice forparents and pupils (DfES, 2005c) 147
5.2.11 White Paper "Further Education: Raising Skills, Improving LifeChances" (DfES, 2006) 149
5.3 Analysis of governmental papers in Germany 153
5.3.1 Government declaration by the Federal Chancellor Gerhard Schröder inParliament (10.11.1998 Schröder 1998)
5.3.2 Mut zur Veränderung: Deutschland braucht moderne Hochschulen –Vorschläge für eine Reform (BMBF, 1999) 156
5.3.3 Regierungserklärung von Bundeskanzler Schröder zum Thema Bildung und Innovation (Schröder, 2002) 159
5.3.4 Rede der Bundesministerin für Bildung und Forschung Edelgard Bulmahn anlässlich der Aussprache zur Regierungserklärung des Bundeskanzlers (Bulmahn, 2002) 162
5.3.5 Bildung, Forschung, Innovation – der Zukunft Gestalt geben (BMBF,2002) 164
5.3.6 Egoismus überwinden – Gemeinsinn fördern: Unser Weg zu neuer Stärke(Schröder, 2004) 168
5.3.7 Aufstieg durch Bildung – Qualifizierungsinitiative der Bundesregierung (BMBF, 2008a) 169
5.4 Comparison 172
5.4.1 Visions and aims: the discursive foreground 175
5.4.1.1 The English case 175
5.4.1.2 The German case 179
5.4.2 Underlying assumptions: the discursive background 183
5.4.2.1 Underlying assumptions that guide pursuance of aims – the English case 184
5.4.2.2 Underlying assumptions that guide pursuance of aims – the German case 189
5.4.2.3 Summary of the English and German basic assumptions 192
5.4.3 Order of discourse 194
5.4.3.1 The English order of discourse 195
5.4.3.2 The German order of discourse 198
5.4.3.3 Summary to the English and German order of discourse 201
5.5 Critique of argumentation 202
5.5.1 Knowledge-based society 202
5.5.2 About the correlation between skills and productivity 206
5.5.3 Skill levels and education participation rates 208
6 Educational reforms: process tracing and evaluation 212
6.1 Policy reforms in England – three cases and their selection 214
6.1.1 School education: Curriculum 2000 216
6.1.2 Further Education: Apprenticeships 227
6.1.3 Higher Education: Foundation degrees 244
6.2 Policy reforms in Germany – three cases and their selection 257
6.2.1 School education – G8 258
6.2.2 Vocational education and the dual apprenticeship system 265
6.2.3 Initiative of excellence 279
7 Conclusion 290
8 Bibliography 298
Journalistic sources 311