The weakening publicness and democracy of public education and growing intervention of non-state actors in education governance: The case of Denmark, France, and Portugal

Viseu Sofia; Luis Miguel Carvalho; John Benedicto Krejsler; Romuald Normand

doi:10.24452/sjer.47.2.7

The weakening publicness and democracy of public education and growing intervention of non-state actors in education governance: The case of Denmark, France, and Portugal

Viseu Sofia, Luis Miguel Carvalho, John Benedicto Krejsler, Romuald Normand

Danish School of Education - Education Studies, Emdrup

Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaper › Journal article › Research › peer-review

Abstract

This article discusses how the increasing interventions of non-state actors in education governance are shaping democratic decision-making in public schools. We focus on the effects of these interventions in public schools in Denmark, France, and Portugal regarding the interconnected dimensions typically advocated by non-state actors: the use of international large-scale assessments, accountability, datafication and digitalization of education. Despite the different cultural traditions and historical trajectories in these three countries, the paper shows that the intervention of non-state actors is being reinforced and tends paradoxically to weaken publicness in schools.

Original language	English
Journal	Swiss Journal of Educational Research
Volume	47
Issue	2
Pages (from-to)	164-174
Number of pages	11
ISSN	2624-8492
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.24452/sjer.47.2.7
Publication status	Published - 6 Oct 2025

Keywords

publicness
democracy in education
intervention in education
non-state actors
Portugal
France
Denmark

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10.24452/sjer.47.2.7

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1 Finished
1 Active

The Policy Futures Research Program
Brøgger, K. (Project manager), Krejsler, J. B. (Participant), Cort, P. S. (Participant), Plotnikof, M. (Participant), Staunæs, D. (Participant), Smedegaard Ernst Bengtsen, S. (Participant), Harsbo, R. (Participant), Møller Schmidt, B. (Participant), Anbert, L. C. (Participant), Khawaja, I. (Participant), Nielsen, G. B. (Participant) & Sandager, J. (Participant)
European Co-operation in Science and Technology
01/03/2019 → …
Project: Research
Reform-programmet: Rearticulating forms of motivation
Knudsen, H. (PI), Nissen, M. (PI), Christensen, S. (Participant), Krejsler, J. B. (Participant), Kofoed, J. (Participant), Juelskjær, M. (Participant), Rasmussen, L. R. (Participant), Kristensen, J. E. (Participant), Kousholt, K. B. (Participant), Staunæs, D. (Participant), Mathiassen, C. (Participant), Hesselberg-Thomsen, M. (Participant), Hedegaard, M. L. L. (Participant), Jimenez, G. (Participant), Møller, N. (Participant), Sørensen, K. S. (Participant), Friis, T. (Participant) & Waleng, S. (Participant)
01/01/2016 → 01/12/2022
Project: Research

Cite this

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title = "The weakening publicness and democracy of public education and growing intervention of non-state actors in education governance: The case of Denmark, France, and Portugal",

abstract = "This article discusses how the increasing interventions of non-state actors in education governance are shaping democratic decision-making in public schools. We focus on the effects of these interventions in public schools in Denmark, France, and Portugal regarding the interconnected dimensions typically advocated by non-state actors: the use of international large-scale assessments, accountability, datafication and digitalization of education. Despite the different cultural traditions and historical trajectories in these three countries, the paper shows that the intervention of non-state actors is being reinforced and tends paradoxically to weaken publicness in schools.",

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author = "Viseu Sofia and Carvalho, \{Luis Miguel\} and Krejsler, \{John Benedicto\} and Romuald Normand",

year = "2025",

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doi = "10.24452/sjer.47.2.7",

language = "English",

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The weakening publicness and democracy of public education and growing intervention of non-state actors in education governance: The case of Denmark, France, and Portugal. / Sofia, Viseu; Carvalho, Luis Miguel; Krejsler, John Benedicto et al.
In: Swiss Journal of Educational Research, Vol. 47, No. 2, 06.10.2025, p. 164-174.

Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaper › Journal article › Research › peer-review

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The weakening publicness and democracy of public education and growing intervention of non-state actors in education governance: The case of Denmark, France, and Portugal

Abstract

Keywords

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Projects

The Policy Futures Research Program

Reform-programmet: Rearticulating forms of motivation

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