Valfrihet, effektivitet och konkurrens : En argumentationsanalys av 90-talskrisens roll i friskolereformen

This paper focuses on the link between economic context and legislation. In 1992, an extensivemarket led reform on Swedish elementary school made it possible for corporations and othernon-governmental foundations to run schools with funds from taxes. Meanwhile, Swedensuffered from a severe recession. This paper seeks to analyse the role of the economic crisis inthe debate regarding this reform. The object of analysis is editorials in two major newspapers,government bills and excerpts from parliament debate, and the theoretical framework is acombination of Karl Polanyi’s commodification theory and Christopher Hood’s New PublicManagement definition. The results show a diversity in the use of economic arguments,depending on political position and source. Explicit justification of the reform – where therecession make a major argument – have been found foremost in government bills