Equipping Schools

The Role of Finance in Shaping Switzerland’s Educational Media Landscapes, 1950–2010

The project

Financial resources are a key issue in today’s public debates on digital educational media infrastructures, both in Europe and globally.

This research project, funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation, systematically examines the use of public funds to equip schools with media infrastructure from a historical perspective. It fills a relevant research gap and acts as a starting point for further studies, as well as professional and political debates on the role of finance in shaping educational media landscapes.

Outline and objectives

Public spending is an indicator of what policymakers actually value in education. The research project focuses on expenditures for educational media infrastructure in Switzerland between 1950 and 2010. It seeks to answer three research questions. First, it examines the role of financial considerations in public debates on new educational media between 1950 and 2010.

Second, it asks to what extent parliamentary commissions, cantonal authorities or municipal boards have prioritised financial considerations when arguing for or against particular educational media.
Third, it analyses whether these debates have been reflected in public budgets and financial accounts.

Team