Pass the knowledge on and legitimize the political action : power struggles between researchers, experts and politicians. The example of the implementation of inclusive education in the Czech republic
Abstract
The author, whose roles have included researcher in education, expert advisor, and the Minister of Education, analyses the relationship between arguments from research work, their mediation by experts and political decisions made by policy makers. Two strands of analysis are followed: that of (de-)legitimisation and that of mediation of the knowledge and arguments used as evidence in political decision-making.
Thus, in the specific case of the implementation of the inclusive education reform in the Czech Republic, the difference between potential cognitive modifiability (among other things) and true educability has been suggested as the root of the conflict between researchers, educational stakeholders and politicians. The silence of researchers during the implementation phase of the reform has been replaced by the voices of experts amplified by public opinion via social media.
The article concludes that we cannot explain the relationship by the "knowledge-driven" model. The dynamic of this relationship involves more parties and relies on the capacity to check that the knowledge evolves with the changing phases of its life.