Specify pathways of influence rather than making general claims of policy imposition or agenda-shaping¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 4 claims (4 for) · 1 study (1 review), q2 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 4 claims rest on one study

Description¶

The review recommends that scholars of international organizations in education move beyond general claims of policy imposition or agenda-shaping and instead analyze the specific avenues through which influence is exercised. It offers its 11-pathway typology as the analytic tool for doing so, arguing that conceptually-informed discussions of World Bank influence are few and that pathway-level analysis also contributes to the policy diffusion literature by focusing on one organization's actions at the national level.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Researchers should make their theoretical orientation and methods explicit, since most reviewed studies did not

Constraints¶

• The typology was developed for a multilateral development bank working with governmental counterparts; the review does not claim it transfers to all international organizations

Target Learners¶

• Education policy researchers
• Scholars of global governance and international organizations

Target Learning Goals¶

• Improving conceptual specificity in studies of international-organization influence on education policy

Claims¶

• Loan conditionalities compel policy reform, with SAP-era requirements later evolving into subtler forms such as Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers and impact-evaluation demands [+W]
• Loans are the most common pathway of World Bank influence, and their scale and discretionary weight amplify their impact [+W]
• Pilot projects serve as a pathway for testing models, gaining organizational footholds, and building political support before scale-up [+W]
• Technical assistance functions as a structural constraint that embeds World Bank frameworks in national policymaking, not merely as advice [+W]

Related Strategies¶

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Edwards Jr., D. Brent; Caravaca Hernández, Alejandro; Rappeport, Annie; et al. (2023). World Bank influence on policy formation in education: A systematic review of the literature. Review of Educational Research, Vol. 94, Núm. 4. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543231194725