Abstract

FLORES-CRESPO, PEDRO. Conocimiento y política educativa en México: Condiciones políticas y organizativas. Perfiles educativos [online]. 2004, vol.26, n.105-106, pp. 73-101. ISSN 0185-2698.

To investigate how knowledge may inform the process of policy formulation one necessarily has to look at the prerequisites that constitute a model of liberal democracy, such as public interest, pluralism, free press and criticism. In Latin American countries, like in long-established democracies, a larger number of policy analysts and government’s officers are concerned with the practical use of knowledge. This article seeks to contribute to this debate by identifying some political and organizational factors that could serve as a basis for the development of a comprehensive framework of analysis. Firstly, it discusses some theoretical perspectives in regard to the study of the linkage between knowledge and public policy. Then, it describes the preferred approach to assess how ideas can shape policy-making. It outlines Mexican politics, stressing the difficulties that policy scholars may face to make their intellectual function more practical. It was found that specialists have gained a position to influence Mexico’s educational policies and this constitute a remarkable experience in Latin America and, furthermore, opens up the opportunity for embarking on deeper analyses.

Keywords : Knowledge; Education policy; Specialists; Policy networks.