Decentralizing education policy in Italy: entrepreneurship and network implementation

The chapter deals with a case study concerning the introduction of new governance structures in the field of education at the regional level in Italy. In essence, it analyses the implementation process of a new policy-making institution, established by a local authority in order to cope with the increasing need for integration and coordination among the actors of the reformed education system. The new institution replaced an older, more centralized governance structure in a local educational arena. The aim is to show to what extent the new policy-making body is an effective tool for the governing of the local educational arena and how it reshaped the arena itself. Structuration theory is used as a theoretical framework in order to focus both on the unintended consequences of the implementation process, the re-structuring of the local system and the role of policy entrepreneurs in terms of strategic conduct.