Academic literature on the topic 'Early childhood education – Government policy – Canada'

This article reviews the un Committee on the Rights of the Child’s 2012 concluding observations regarding Canada’s progress in implementing the un Convention on the Rights of the Child. It examines the un Committee’s criticisms about the pace of Canada’s progress, and examines in particular the Committee’s claim that the main problems in implementing the Convention are intergovernmental. It concurs with the Committee’s diagnosis of the problem as one of coordination, which manifests particularly in areas of law and policy where provincial governments maintain jurisdictional authority but the federal government maintains the greater fiscal levers. The article analyses the possibilities of resolving these children’s rights and public policy challenges, drawing on two illustrative cases: efforts to expand early childhood education programmes in Canada and efforts to improve Aboriginal education, particularly on reserves.

AbstractEarly childhood education and care (ECEC) policies and services in Canada exhibit marked gaps in access, creating ‘childcare deserts’ and distributional disadvantages. Cognate family policies that support children and families, such as parental leave and child benefits, are also underdeveloped. This article examines the current state of ECEC services in Canada and the reasons behind the uncoordinated array of services and policy, namely, a liberal welfare state tradition that historically has encouraged private and market-based care, a comparatively decentralised federal system that militates against coordinated policy-making, and a welfare state built on gendered assumptions about care work. The article assesses recent government initiatives, including the federal 2017 Multilateral Framework on Early Learning and Child Care, concluding that existing federal and provincial initiatives have limited potential to bring about paradigmatic third-order change.

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) environments influence children’s early development and habits that track across a lifespan. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of COVID-19 government-mandated guidelines on physical activity (PA) and eating environments in ECEC settings. This cross-sectional study involved the recruitment of 19 ECEC centers pre-COVID (2019) and 15 ECEC centers during COVID (2020) in Alberta, Canada (n = 34 ECEC centers; n = 83 educators; n = 361 preschoolers). Educators completed the CHEERS (Creating Healthy Eating and activity Environments Survey) and MEQ (Mindful Eating Questionnaire) self-audit tools while GT3X+ ActiGraph accelerometers measured preschooler PA. The CHEERS healthy eating environment subscale was greater during COVID-19 (5.97 ± 0.52; 5.80 ± 0.62; p = 0.02) and the overall score positively correlated with the MEQ score (r = 0.20; p = 0.002). Preschoolers exhibited greater hourly step counts (800 ± 189; 649 ± 185), moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) (9.3 ± 3.0 min/h; 7.9 ± 3.2 min/h) and lower sedentary times (42.4 ± 3.9 min/h; 44.1 ± 4.9 min/h) during COVID-19 compared to pre-COVID, respectively (p < 0.05). These findings suggest the eating environment and indices of child physical activity were better in 2020, which could possibly be attributed to a change in government-mandated COVID-19 guideline policy.

Covid-19 has changed the learning process from class attendance to distance learning using the Internet. Early childhood education is threatened to enter into the lost generation, due to distance learning, which causes confusion for teachers and parents to be able to provide the best stimulation for them. Therefore, the Indonesian government made a new policy on online learning. The objectives of this research are to find how effective at online learning policy formulation, how productive it is in policy implementation, and what are the obstacles of the implementation at Early-Childhood Education (ECE). This qualitative research uses a mixed method approach with an iterative analysis design, conducted in Central Java Province in 35 districts / cities with 1,899 respondents. Data collection techniques with open-closed questionnaires, study from 15 documentation, and in-depth interviews. Data analysis uses quantitative-qualitative software Nvivo12+, with Miles and Huberman models. The results showed the policy formulation of online learning at ECE has been effective. However, the implementation of online learning policy at ECE still takes a lot of effort to become more powerful in preventing a decline in learning. There are five obstacles in in applying this in the field, namely the ability of teachers, the ability of parents, economic capability, facility constraints, and pedagogical constraints. Keywords: Online Learning Policy; Children Engagement; Learning Management System References Allen, I. E., Seaman, J. (2013). Changing course: Ten years of tracking online education in the United States. ERIC, ISBN 0984028838. Asilestari, P. (2016). Komputer Interaktif sebagai Media Pengajaran Bahasa Inggris pada Anak Usia Dini. Jurnal Obsesi: Jurnal Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini, 2, n. 1, p. 55-62. Association, I. I. S. P. (2018). Penetrasi & Profil Perialku Pengguna Internet Indonesia. Coates, H. (2006). Student engagement in campus-based and online education: University connections. Routledge, ISBN 1134161530. Ha, Young. & Im, Hyunjoo. (2020). The Role of an Interactive Visual Learning Tool and its Personalizability in Online Learning: Flow Experience. Online Learning, 24, n. 1. Harjanto, T. & Sumunar, D. S. E. W. (2018). Tantangan Dan Peluang Pembelajaran Dalam Jaringan: Studi Kasus Implementas Elok (E-Learning: Open For Knowledge Sharing) Pada Mahasiswa Profesi Ners. Jurnal Keperawatan Respati Yogyakarta, 5, p. 24-28. Imron, A. (1995). Kebijaksanaan pendidikan di Indonesia: Proses, produk dan masa depannya. Bumi Aksara, ISBN 9795262319. Inoue, Y. (2007). Online education for lifelong learning. IGI Global, ISBN 1599043211. Irma, C. N., Nisa, K. & Sururiyah, S. K. (2019). Keterlibatan Orang Tua dalam Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini di TK Masyithoh 1 Purworejo. Jurnal Obsesi: Jurnal Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini, 3, n. 1, p. 214-224. Jebba, A. M. & Umaru, N. N. (2019). The role of social media in reshaping the academic activities of vocational and technical education lecturers in Nigeria. Int. J. Eval. & Res. Educ. Vol, 8, n. 4, p. 735-741. Johnson, K. & Manning, S. (2010). Online education for dummies. Canada: John Wiley & Sons Publishing ISBN 0470536209. Juwah, C. (2006). Interactions in online education: Implications for theory and practice. Routledge, ISBN 1134247494. Kemendikbud. (2020). Surat Edaran Nomor 4 Tahun 2020 Tentang Pelaksanaan Kebijakan Pendidikan Dalam Masa Darurat Penyebaran Corona Virus Disease (Covid-19). Kong, S. C., Chan, T.-W., Griffin, P. & Hoppe, U. et al. (2014). E-learning in school education in the coming 10 years for developing 21st century skills: Critical research issues and policy implications. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 17, n. 1, p. 70-78. Kwon, J. B., Debruler, K. & Kennedy, K. (2019). A Snapshot of Successful K-12 Online Learning: Focused on the 2015-16 Academic Year in Michigan. Journal of Online Learning Research, 5, n. 2, p. 199-225. Layne, M., Boston, W. E. & Ice, P. (2013). A longitudinal study of online learners: Shoppers, swirlers, stoppers, and succeeders as a function of demographic characteristics. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 16, n. 2, p. 1-12. Lynch, M. M. (2002). The online educator: A guide to creating the virtual classroom. Routledge, ISBN 1134542542. Novianti, R. & Garzia, M. (2020). Penggunaan Gadget Pada Anak; Tantangan Baru Orang Tua Milenial. Jurnal Obsesi: Jurnal Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini, 4, n. 2. Nugroho, R. (2008). Kebijakan Pendidikan: Pengantar untuk Memahami Kebijakan Pendidikan Sebagai Kebijakan Publik. Yogyakarta: Pustaka Pelajar. Nugroho, R. (2017). Public Policy: Dinamika Kebijakan, Analisis Kebijakan, dan Manajemen Politik Kebijakan Publik. Jakarta: Elex Media Komputindo. Palloff, R. M. & Pratt, K. (2002). Lessons from the cyberspace classroom: The realities of online teaching. California: John Wiley & Sons Publishing, ISBN 0787959960. Pangondian, R. A., Santosa, P. I. & Nugroho, E. (2019). Faktor-Faktor Yang Mempengaruhi Kesuksesan Pembelajaran Daring Dalam Revolusi Industri 4.0. Panjaitan, N. Q.; Yetti, E. & Nurani, Y. (2020). Pengaruh Media Pembelajaran Digital Animasi dan Kepercayaan Diri terhadap Hasil Belajar Pendidikan Agama Islam Anak. Jurnal Obsesi: Jurnal Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini, 4, n. 2, p. 588-596. Pebriana, P. H. (2017). Analisis penggunaan gadget terhadap kemampuan interaksi sosial pada anak usia dini. Jurnal Obsesi: Jurnal Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini, 1, n. 1, p. 1-11. Pertiwi, W. K. (2020). Penetrasi Internet di Indonesia Capai 64 Persen. https://tekno.kompas.com/read/2020/02/20/14090017/penetrasi-internet-di-indonesia-capai-64-persen. Ramadhan, B. (2020). Ini Data Pengguna Internet Di Seluruh Dunia Tahun 2020. Jakarta https://teknoia.com/data-pengguna-internet-dunia-ac03abc7476. Roach, V. & Lemasters, L. (2006). Satisfaction with online learning: A comparative descriptive study. Journal of Interactive Online Learning, 5, n. 3, p. 317-332. Rohita, R. (2020). The Ability of Ece Teachers to Use ICT in The Industrial Revolution 4.0. Jurnal Obsesi: Jurnal Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini, 4, n. 2, p. 502-511. Rostaminezhad, M., Mozayani, N., Norozi, D. & Iziy, M. (2013). Factors related to e-learner dropout: Case study of IUST elearning center. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 83, p. 522-527. Sari, K. M. & Setiawan, H. (2020). Kompetensi Pedagogik Guru dalam Melaksanakan Penilaian Pembelajaran Anak Usia Dini. Jurnal Obsesi: Jurnal Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini, 4, n. 2, p. 900-912. Seok, S. & Dacosta, B. (2020). Relationships Between Young South Koreans’ Online Activities and Their Risk of Exploitation. Journal of Online Learning Research, 6, n. 1, p. 77-101. Setyaji, A., Iskak, A., Sukmaningrum, R. & Hawa, F. (2015). Komputer Interaktif Sebagai Media Pengajaran Bahasa Inggris Pada Anak Usia Dini. E-Dimas: Jurnal Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat, 6, n. 1, p. 1-12. Sharoff, L. (2019). Creative and Innovative Online Teaching Strategies: Facilitation for Active Participation. Journal of Educators Online, 16, n. 2, p. n2. Suhartanto, H. (2010). Survei 2009: Mutu Situs E-Learning Sekolah Indonesia Masih Sangat Minim. Jurnal Sistem Informasi,6, n. 1, p. 80-83. Sum, T. A. & Taran, E. G. M. (2020). Kompetensi Pedagogik Guru PAUD dalam Perencanaan dan Pelaksanaan Pembelajaran. Jurnal Obsesi: Jurnal Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini, 4, n. 2. Swan, K. (2003). Learning effectiveness online: What the research tells us. p.13-47. Taufik, A., Apendi, T., Saidi, S. & Istiarsono, Z. (2019). Parental Perspectives on the Excellence of Computer Learning Media in Early Childhood Education. Jurnal Pendidikan Usia Dini, 13, n. 2, p. 356-370. Tilaar, H.; Nugroho, R. (2009). Kebijakan Pendidikan: Pengantar untuk Memahami Kebijakan Pendidikan dan Kebijakan Pendidikan sebagai Kebijakan Publik. Yogyakarta: Pustaka Pelajar. Ulya, S. I. (2019). Analisis Penggunaan Gedget Terhadap Kemampuan Interaksi Sosial Dan Komunikasi Pada Anak Usia Dini. 89-96. Vonderwell, S. & Zachariah, S. (2005). Factors that influence participation in online learning. Journal of Research on Technology in education, 38, n. 2, p. 213-230. Wang, Q., Zhu, Z., Chen, L. & Yan, H. (2009). E‐learning in China. Campus-Wide Information Systems. Winter, J., Cotton, D., Gavin, J. & Yorke, J. D. (2010). Effective e-learning? Multi-tasking, distractions and boundary management by graduate students in an online environment. ALT-J, 18, n. 1, p. 71-83. Yu, E. (2020). Student-Inspired Optimal Design of Online Learning for Generation Z. Journal of Educators Online, 17, n. 1, p. n1. Zaini, M. & Soenarto, S. (2019). Persepsi Orangtua terhadap Hadirnya Era Teknologi Digital di Kalangan Anak Usia Dini. Jurnal Obsesi: Jurnal Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini, 3, n. 1, p. 254-264.

Although ,Rwanda has approved its Early Childhood Development (ECD) Policy and Strategic Plan in September 2011, the policy was established and implemented in different ways in early childhood education, yet preschool has a long way to go. Equally, having a focus on preschool education is the best investment that Rwanda can make to achieve other national goals such as, reducing maternal mortality, eliminating malnutrition and improving access to quality education. Empirical evidence gathered from secondary sources indicates that government has put more effort in improving quality of education. Yet on preschool level, indicators available illustrates that the results are far from expectation. The study further discusses the challenges faced by government in the design and implementation of ECD policy that have led to the ensuing situation.

There is well-established evidence that the quality of early childhood education workforce impacts upon children’s learning. Attracting qualified teacher graduates to work in early childhood centres is an essential component towards the provision of quality care. Significant investment by the Australian Government has been made to prepare early childhood teachers, yet teaching at this level is characterised by poorer working conditions compared with primary school teachers. Various programme models qualify applicants as early childhood teachers, yet there is no evidence of the most appropriate model. Our study’s focus was to identify reasons for entering a teacher education programme, career intentions and satisfaction of pre-service teachers enrolled in early childhood/primary degree programmes at two Australian universities. Findings demonstrate that the degrees were not fulfilling the government investment goals for increasing early childhood teacher numbers, nor were the degrees meeting student expectation for an early childhood teaching career. We argue that renewed policy strategies are required to support new early childhood graduates and professionals, and attract teachers to work in early childhood education.

Many postmodern and post-structural analyses of government policies affecting early childhood education stress the hegemonic nature of neo-liberalism and subsequently primarily focus upon identifying the manifestation of neo-liberal values in such interventions. An unintended and stultifying consequence of such analyses is, at times, to close off the possibilities of envisioning a positive engagement with, and role for, government policy. In addition, the primacy offered to localised knowledges can engender the development of policy responses which are not cognisant of more broadly based social impacts. In response, the authors proffer the use of intersections as key points for the development of analyses and action. This necessitates an active awareness of the ways in which local knowledges and experiences cross, or overlay, information generated from other sites, including disciplinary knowledges and analyses that may be classified as modernist. By utilising points of convergence, as well as understanding points of divergence, intersections can be used to open up spaces for political action that recognise and generate localised responses, whilst at the same time engendering policy that enables more broadly based social justice.

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This study aimed to analyse the principal training needs who act in Child Education Centre, from the affiliated network, situated in the south region of São Paulo, including the neighbourhood which compose the districts of Campo Limpo, Vila Andrade, Capão Redondo, Jardim Ângela and Jardim São Luís, and which are part of a territory served by the Education Regional Directory of Campo Limpo. This study was carried out from May to June of 2018. The research is developed in a perspective of a qualitative approach based in the studies of Lüdke and André (1986). The methodological procedure used in the data production was a questionnaire applying, edited in the Google forms, which had classification, open and attitudes scale questions. The information analysis process was done from the answer categorization organized by the proximity of sense and meanings building semantic sets and, later, by textual analysis called “Words Cloud”, using the software Iramuteg which organized the expressions that appeared more often. This procedure allowed a lexical analysis with the aim to validate the primary interpretation of this beginner researcher. From the analysis it was observed that continuing education investment is needed for the principals who act in these institutions, in order to better understand the public policies of care for children from zero to three years old and to develop a high-quality work
O presente estudo teve por objetivo analisar as necessidades formativas de diretores que atuam em Centros de Educação Infantil, da rede conveniada, localizados na região sul de São Paulo, envolvendo os bairros que compõe os distritos de Campo Limpo, Vila Andrade, Capão Redondo, Jardim Ângela e Jardim São Luís, e que integram o território atendido pela Diretoria Regional de Educação de Campo Limpo. O período de realização desse estudo compreendeu os meses de maio e junho do ano de 2018. A pesquisa é desenvolvida na perspectiva de uma abordagem qualitativa embasada nos estudos de Lüdke e André (1986). O procedimento metodológico utilizado para a produção dos dados foi a realização de questionário, editado na ferramenta Google forms, contendo perguntas de classificação, perguntas abertas e em escala de atitudes. O processo de análise das informações foi realizado a partir da categorização das respostas organizadas por proximidade de sentidos e significados, criando grupos semânticos e, posteriormente, pela análise textual “Nuvem de palavras”, com o auxílio do software Iramuteq que organizou as expressões que apareceram com maior frequência. Esse procedimento possibilitou realizar uma análise lexical com o intuito de validar a interpretação primária desta pesquisadora iniciante. A partir das análises realizadas constatou-se que se faz necessário um investimento em formação continuada para os diretores que atuam nessas instituições, a fim de que melhor compreendam as políticas públicas de atendimento às crianças de zero a três anos e possam desenvolver um trabalho de qualidade

This dissertation examines the evolution of Britain’s and Canada’s early childhood education and child care (ECEC) sectors, especially the growing number of policy initiatives adopted in both countries over the past thirty years. I contend that policy coalitions in both countries have been able to promote gradual but nevertheless important policy changes by grafting new purposes onto inherited institutions. The result of these incremental changes has been ECEC systems that often appear incoherent and disjointed. The dissertation also explores how Canada and Great Britain have increasingly followed distinct trajectories. In particular, I demonstrate that while a growing proportion of ECEC services are provided by the commercial sector in Britain, Canada has instead increasingly relied on the non-profit sector to deliver such services. I contend in this dissertation that differences between the two cases are the result of distinct policy coalitions that have emerged in both countries. I make the case that the character of these coalitions and their capacity to promote, institutionalize, protect and further their policy preferences are the result of, first, the sequence of policy development and, second, the territorial organization of the welfare state in both countries. In short, as a result of the federal nature of Canada, Canadian child care activists were able to ensure the early institutionalization of a regulatory framework that constrained the expansion of for-profit services. By the time Britain adopted a national framework, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, on the other hand, the for-profit sector had already established a strong presence. Covering more than one hundred twenty five years of policy development in both countries, this dissertation draws both on extensive archival research and on interviews with policy-makers and ECEC activists.

The care and education of pre-school children presents a perfect storm of conflicts among the needs of women, children, and states, particularly in societies that maintain a sharp barrier between the private and public spheres such as the United States and Britain. American and British policymakers attempted to address these tensions in the early 1970s by proposing universal child care programs. In the U.S., the Comprehensive Child Development Act (CDA) of 1971 passed both the House and Senate by overwhelming majorities but was vetoed by President Richard Nixon. Going further than any proposal before or since to establish a national public child care program, it would have made public child care centers universally available on a sliding-scale basis: free for children of the poor but available for a fee to middle and upper class children. The British Department of Education and Science, led by Secretary Margaret Thatcher, published a White Paper in 1972 calling for nursery expansion, but it was never fully implemented. It proposed a dramatic expansion of public nursery education, so that it might be available within a decade to all families with three and four year old children who chose to utilize it, with funds being made available first to local areas designated as most in need. My dissertation presents an in-depth account of the political bargaining that occurred during this period in both countries, and addresses the factors that contributed to the failure of these universal child care proposals. Although neither child care program was implemented (or fully implemented, in the British case), the proposals raise important questions about the relationship between the state and the family. It also analyzes the aftermath of these policies’ failure through to the end of Thatcher and Reagan administrations. It then turns to the mid-1990s which represent a key divergence in the two nations’ paths, as Britain returned to its earlier nursery education initiatives for all children and the United States further entrenched its reliance on the private market for the provision of care. The passage in 1997 of the British National Child Care Strategy, a central component of New Labour’s War on Child Poverty, included a free and universal preschool provision for all three and four year old children. In the U.S., by contrast, the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act expanded child care subsidies only for eligible low income children below the age of five, thus continuing the American reliance on the free market to provide this necessary service for most families. I argue that conflicting visions of child care as an educational intervention versus a welfare service—and as a universal provision benefitting all children and families versus a means-tested program targeted to low-income families—explain the differences between these two countries’ policy developments in the 1990s. Specifically, my dissertation examines how British and American conceptions of motherhood and child-rearing compare, and how policymakers viewed the role of the state in intervening with parental responsibilities. In the United States, Republicans balked at the idea of public child care provision for the nonpoor, yet British politicians of both major parties supported universal public interventions in the early years at various points across the period.

While visiting preschools in rural areas of the southern region of Ethiopia, I became aware of the early childhood education (ECE) problems that emanated from ECE policy and its implementation. The problems I observed included that the school building was not well constructed for it had broken doors and windows, unclean and narrow rooms and the school campus had not enough space to allow kids to play freely. In addition, there were no learning materials and playground facilities and teachers did not have qualifications at all. From my subsequent observations that I had made with other preschools in a rural area, I observed the same problems. This situation triggered me to carry out this research. The overall purpose of this study was to establish the nature of ECE policy implementation at school-based Grade R classes of schools in southern Ethiopia. To achieve this aim, I employed the qualitative descriptive design for it helped me to capture and describe in-depth views, perceptions, meanings and practices of ECE policy practitioners. The major theories that informed this study are maturation, learning and interaction theories that promote holistic development of children via ECE programmes. There were 38 purposively selected subjects who participated in the study. The findings of the study revealed that practitioners had a lack of knowledge about policy implementation and did not teach correctly in the classrooms. Teachers taught Grade R with inadequate material resources and support; there was a lack of policy guidelines, standards, common curriculum, teamwork and supervision. Based on the findings, I recommended an interaction model of policy implementation that integrates bottom-up and top-down approaches to promote positive and active interplay between the policy managers at the top and implementers at the local level.
Psychology of Education
D. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

While visiting preschools in rural areas of the southern region of Ethiopia, I became aware of the early childhood education (ECE) problems that emanated from ECE policy and its implementation. The problems I observed included that the school building was not well constructed for it had broken doors and windows, unclean and narrow rooms and the school campus had not enough space to allow kids to play freely. In addition, there were no learning materials and playground facilities and teachers did not have qualifications at all. From my subsequent observations that I had made with other preschools in a rural area, I observed the same problems. This situation triggered me to carry out this research. The overall purpose of this study was to establish the nature of ECE policy implementation at school-based Grade R classes of schools in southern Ethiopia. To achieve this aim, I employed the qualitative descriptive design for it helped me to capture and describe in-depth views, perceptions, meanings and practices of ECE policy practitioners. The major theories that informed this study are maturation, learning and interaction theories that promote holistic development of children via ECE programmes. There were 38 purposively selected subjects who participated in the study. The findings of the study revealed that practitioners had a lack of knowledge about policy implementation and did not teach correctly in the classrooms. Teachers taught Grade R with inadequate material resources and support; there was a lack of policy guidelines, standards, common curriculum, teamwork and supervision. Based on the findings, I recommended an interaction model of policy implementation that integrates bottom-up and top-down approaches to promote positive and active interplay between the policy managers at the top and implementers at the local level.
Psychology of Education
D. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

This chapter provides a comprehensive account of the policy details that shape the supply and demand of in-home childcare in each country. Based on a structural approach to analysis, the different funding mechanisms, eligibility criteria, regulatory requirements and migration rules are detailed to compare and contrast how in-home childcare is supported by governments in each country. It focuses on how nannies and other forms of in-home childcare are situated within ECEC structures, but also considers broader policy influences, namely immigration policy and regulation. The second part focuses on the intersection of these policy mechanisms to highlight some tensions and inconsistencies in governments’ approaches to supporting in-home childcare. This chapter provides a foundation for Part 2 of the book, which turns to the rationales and implications of in-home childcare policies.

This chapter examines different interpretations and objectives of in-home child care in Australia, the UK and Canada, and the ways in which these diverging interpretations are reflected in the policy mechanisms of ECEC that facilitate, or do not facilitate, different forms of regulated and unregulated in-home child care. It brings together scholarship on early education and women’s workforce participation to present different reasons and rationales for government investment and spending on ECEC. National governments and advocates, and international organisations, increasingly emphasise a human capital approach to social policy. This frames ECEC around children’s ‘early learning and development’ and concerns about child poverty, which often extends to include parents’ workforce participation. The chapter is based on analysis of primary policy documents and interviews conducted with key policy stakeholders across the three countries. The final section discusses tensions and contradictions across and within countries in relation to two dichotomies.