Educational research expenditure in Switzerland : overview and analysis

• Published in: Educational research for policy and practice 2004-01, Vol.3 (1), p.47-62
• Main Authors: Hanhart, Siegfried, Broyon, Marie Anne
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Barriers; Comparative analysis; Educational Administration; Educational change; Educational finance; Educational Policy; Educational Practices; Educational Research; Expenditures; Federal aid to education; Financial Support; Foreign Countries; Government finance; Operations Research; Public Support; Research and development centres; Research funding; Research Needs; Switzerland; Systems Analysis; Universities
• ISSN: 1570-2081; 1573-1723
• DOI: 10.1007/s10671-004-3927-8

Switzerland spends about 6 percent of its GDP on education. In the past few years, there have been important reforms in the educational field, for example introducing a vocational high school diploma and creating specialised higher vocational institutions (hautes ecoles). What is the extent of educational research in this context? There are very little data on this subject. To meet the need of information, the authors carried out a study examining expenditure on Swiss educational research from 1998 to 2000 and the link between sources of funding and research centres. The results of the study show that expenditure on educational research is modest compared with the overall cost of the educational system. It also reveals a distinct distribution of tasks amongst the institutions directly dependent on state educational administrations and universities. Although there are also other sources of funds, educational research relies mainly on public funding. This is disconcerting, as public budgets have been facing cuts in recent years, and new requirements for research needs will arise (future research is likely to involve such activities as evaluating reforms and participating in international survey). The authors conclude new funding strategies have to be found and researchers need to communicate their results more effectively. [Author abstract, ed]