Bringing the State into Education Policy Inquiry: A Neo-Marxist and Realist-Based Approach to Program Evaluation in Colombia

Juan David Parra

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Chapter 8 Bringing the State into Education Policy Inquiry

A Neo-Marxist and Realist-Based Approach to Program Evaluation in Colombia

In: The State and Education in Latin America

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Juan David Parra

Juan David Parra
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Type:: Chapter

Pages:: 235–259

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004748811_008

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Abstract

This chapter builds on Roger Dale’s legacy in the sociology of education by addressing his observation that education policy researchers often neglect the significant role played by the state apparatus and state ideologies in theories of educational change. Drawing on insights from education research in Colombia, I aim to underscore the importance of incorporating an analysis of state’s action into research designs when examining specific education policy interventions. By advocating a Neo-Marxist conceptualization of the state that distinguishes the policy-making apparatus from the dominant state project, and by employing realist evaluation principles to capture structure and agency dynamics in policy assessment, I outline a methodological framework to inform a kind of education policy analysis that adheres to, and is enhanced by, Dale’s sociological orientation. The theoretical arguments made in this chapter are substantiated through an examination of the implementation mechanisms behind a large-scale education program aimed at increasing the length of the school day. This analysis takes into consideration various elements from the broader education, political and economic systems in which the intervention operates.

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The State and Education in Latin America

Fault Lines, Foundations, and Alternatives

Series: Comparative and International Education: The Hispanic Americas, Volume: 3

Cover The State and Education in Latin America

E-Book ISBN:: 9789004748811

Publisher:: Brill

Print Publication Date:: 23 Dec 2025

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Chapter 8 Bringing the State into Education Policy Inquiry

A Neo-Marxist and Realist-Based Approach to Program Evaluation in Colombia

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Citation Info

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The State and Education in Latin America

Fault Lines, Foundations, and Alternatives

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