The Concept of Policy Paradigm: Elaboration and Illumination

Abstract

Using the educational system of the Irish Republic as the cultural setting, the concept of policy paradigm as an analytical tool for use in policy studies in education is developed. Policy paradigms are defined as frameworks embodying linguistic, normative, and epistemic dimensions, among others, that govern the policy process. Three characteristics of the concept of policy paradigm - its components, regulatory power, and change - are described and illuminated in relation to those aspects of the Irish educational system that have been highlighted by cultural strangers. This exploration also facilitates an assessment of the contribution of cultural strangers to educational change in an indigenous culture.