Decoding the marketization of education in Sweden through computational analyses

The radical transformation of the Swedish educational system in a neo-liberal direction in the last decades is often viewed as both paradoxical and puzzling. Consequently, a substantial body of research has analysed the marketization of education in Sweden and its consequences from a number of different perspectives. However, there is a lack of systematic analysis of the development of the political debate related to education in the parliament during the 1980s and onward. The process of reform of the Swedish education system has been fragmented and complex, spanning over several decades and led by different governments of various political affiliations. Therefore, the task of analysing this policy process expands beyond what is possible in traditional qualitative policy analysis.

We aim to utilize novel methods and data to analyse the parliamentary discourse surrounding the reformation of the Swedish educational system from the 1980s to today. Using computational as well as qulaitative text analyses of open parliamentary data, we will systematically analyse the development of the political debate related to education. Such analyses will give a deeper understanding of how ideas about educational policy have developed and dispersed over time. The project will contribute to the understanding of how policy ideas, expertise and legislative organizations influence continuity and change in educational policy and reform, beyond policy transfer and ideological motives.