The evolution of the adult learning system in Czechia: three modes of liberalisation
The result's identifiers
Result code in IS VaVaI
<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F70883521%3A28150%2F25%3A63597858" target="_blank" >RIV/70883521:28150/25:63597858 - isvavai.cz</a>
Result on the web
<a href="https://www.elgaronline.com/view/book/9781035359523/chapter13.xml" target="_blank" >https://www.elgaronline.com/view/book/9781035359523/chapter13.xml</a>
DOI - Digital Object Identifier
<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.4337/9781035359523.00026" target="_blank" >10.4337/9781035359523.00026</a>
Alternative languages
Result language
angličtina
Original language name
The evolution of the adult learning system in Czechia: three modes of liberalisation
Original language description
This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of the evolution of the Czech Adult Learning System (ALS) from 1989 to 2024, delineating a three-phase of its institutional trajectory. Every phase has been marked not only by a change in institutional design regarding ALS but also by features of institutional change. Each of them represents a different version of the liberalisation of ALS. In the initial phase, post-1989, the ALS underwent a substantial deregulation, marked by eliminating the centralised provision of Adult Education and Training (AET) and removing previous ideological components. This “critical juncture” established a specific path dependency towards a liberal model of AET provision, emphasising autonomy and market regulation. The second phase, spanning from 2004 to 2013, witnessed the embedded flexibilisation, including various direct measures for enhancing coordination and provision of AET. These policies aimed to improve the supply side of organised learning, regulating the market for AET. Most of these institutional changes had a gradual nature and were typical by layering. The third and final phase, post-2014, saw a renewed deregulation in the form of decline in state involvement in AET, characterised by reduced priority and limited financial support. This trend further reinforced the liberal pathway established in the first phase. The growth of the national economy after 2014, coupled with evolving policy preferences, resulted in a shift in the lifelong learning agenda to a lower priority. Despite reduced state support, favourable economic conditions, coupled with new strategies employed by firms within the rapidly growing market economy and significant changes in the occupational structure, fostered a more conducive environment for AET participation. Contrary to the previous two periods, institutional development in the sphere of AET was typical of drift within the state apparatus and by intercurrence within the national economy. The analysis reveals that while state involvement fluctuated over the three phases, the overall trajectory of the Czech ALS leaned towards a liberal model.
Czech name
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Czech description
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Classification
Type
C - Chapter in a specialist book
CEP classification
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OECD FORD branch
50301 - Education, general; including training, pedagogy, didactics [and education systems]
Result continuities
Project
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Continuities
I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace
Others
Publication year
2025
Confidentiality
S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů
Data specific for result type
Book/collection name
A Modern Guide to Adult Learning Systems
ISBN
978-1-03-535951-6
Number of pages of the result
23
Pages from-to
248-270
Number of pages of the book
440
Publisher name
Edward Elgar
Place of publication
Cheltenham
UT code for WoS chapter
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