Funding the Rise of Mass Schooling: The Social, Economic and Cultural History of School Finance in Sweden, 1840 - 1900

ISBN-13: 9783319404592 / Angielski / Twarda / 2016 / 242 str.

Johannes Westberg

Opis

This book presents expert analysis on how the remarkable rise of mass schooling was funded during the nineteenth century. Based on rich source materials from rural Swedish school districts, and drawing up evidence from schooling in countries including France, Germany, England and the U.S., Westberg examines the moral considerations that guided economic practices and sheds new light on how the advent of schooling did not only rest upon monies, but also on grains, firewood and cow fodder. Exploring school districts' motives and economic culture, this book shows how schooling was neither primarily guided by frugal impulses nor motivated by a fear of the growing working classes. Instead, school spending served multiple purposes in school districts that pursued a fair and reasonable economic practice.
In addition to being a highly-detailed case study of Sweden 1840 - 1900 this book also entails a broadening of the theoretical horizon of history of education into social, agrarian and economic history in a wider context. With a focus on different systems of school finance, this work reveals a key change over time: from a largely in-kind system supporting schools in an early phase, followed by an increasingly monetarized, depersonalized and homogenized system of school finance. Boasting an interdisciplinary appeal, this will be a welcome contribution of interest to scholars in the fields of education history, sociology, and economics.

Recenzje

"Not only does Westberg illuminate essential dimensions of the process of school funding, but this book is also extremely valuable for its timely reframing of historical research on education that should serve as a useful guide for subsequent scholarship. ... By unearthing the important and neglected practices of school funding in rural Sweden, Westberg has opened up exciting new paths for further research on the rise of mass schooling." (Cristina V. Groeger, History of Education Quarterly, Vol. 58 (2), May, 2018)

Spis treści

Chapter 1. A Mundane History of School Finance

Pieces of a larger puzzle

Three issues in the history of school finance

A history from below

The Swedish setting

The rural school districts of Sundsvall

Sources and methods

The structure of the book

Chapter 2. The Political Will to Levy Local Taxes

The school act of 1842

Tackling population growth and long school routes

Unfit school buildings and ambulatory schools

Economic issues and social status

Conclusion

Chapter 3. Pursuing a Fair and Reasonable Economy

The management of school districts’ affairs

A multifaceted economic culture

Balancing needs and resources

Budgets determined by school spending

A “billig” economy

The issue of frugality

Strategies to increase revenues

Conclusion

Chapter 4. The In-kind Economy of Early School Districts

An economy of in-kind transactions

Taxes in grain, hay and firewood

Gifts and boarding arrangements

Farmwork and janitorial services

The restricted use of account books

State subsidies, local taxes and interest payments

Conclusion

Chapter 5. An Expanding Monetary Economy

An increasingly monetized economy

A liberation or a loss?

A variety of local monetary taxes

Rising state subsidies

Loans from banks, funds and individuals

Conclusion

Chapter 6. School Funding and Mass Schooling

An affordable and flexible in-kind economy

The benefits of an in-kind salary

The thorny cow fodder question

The abolition of cow fodder

Damp firewood and other concerns

Conflicting regimes of value

Conclusion

Chapter 7. Conclusions

The political will and economic culture

From in-kind to monies

The rise of mass schooling

School finance and beyond

O autorze

Johannes Westberg is Professor of Education at Örebro University, Sweden. Since defending his thesis in 2008, Westberg has published widely on the history of early years education and primary schooling. 

Blurb

‘…provides a fascinating window into the meaning and importance of schools as community institutions in a transforming economy… brings a new perspective to understanding the expansion of mass schooling internationally, and helps us appreciate the creativity and calculation of ordinary families… insightful, smart, and humane. ‘

-Nancy Beadie, Historian of Education and Professor, University of Washington, USA 

‘… a remarkably interesting book about the social and cultural entanglements of school finance in 19th century Sweden. Westberg presents a compelling argument for the economic basis of the rise of primary schools, restoring the complexity of educational finance as a social and cultural dimension beyond reductionist approaches. His informed, inspirational and persuasive analysis documents the efforts related to the funding of mass schooling as it emerged; one wonders how we could make comprehensive arguments about the social dynamics of mass schooling in the 19th century before this book.’

-Marcelo Caruso, Professor in History of Education, Humboldt University Berlin, Germany

This book explores how the remarkable rise of mass schooling was funded during the 19th century. Based on rich source materials from rural Swedish school districts, and drawing on evidence from schooling in France, Germany, England and the U.S., Westberg examines the moral considerations that guided economic practices and sheds new light on how the advent of schooling rested not only on monies, but also grains, firewood and cow fodder, showing how schooling was neither primarily guided by frugal impulses nor motivated by a fear of the growing working classes. 

This book also broadens the theoretical horizon of history of education into social, agrarian and economic history in a wider context. Focussing on different systems of school finance, this work reveals a key change over time: from a largely in-kind system supporting schools in an early phase, followed by an increasingly monetarized, depersonalized and homogenized system of school finance. This will be a welcome contribution of interest to scholars in the fields of education history, sociology, and economics.