Phillip Y. Lipscy - The Politics of International Testing

Date
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Location
Encina Hall West, Room 400 (GSL)

 

Abstract

In recent years, an increasing number of countries have participated in cross-national assessments in education (CNAs), but their impact remains underexplored. We argue that CNA participation increases the ability and motivation of policymakers to implement improvements in education through mechanisms at the elite, domestic, and transnational levels. We find evidence consistent with our propositions using a mixed-method approach, utilizing: 1. a panel dataset covering all CNAs and all countries in the international system since 1958; 2. an original survey of 77 education officials directly responsible for the planning and implementation of CNAs in 46 countries; 3. personal interviews with 48 officials in target states, assessment agencies, and donor agencies. The empirical results consistently support our prediction that CNA participation has a meaningful impact on education policy and outcomes.

 

 

Biography
Phillip Y. Lipscy is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Stanford University.  He is also The Thomas Rohlen Center Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies.  His fields of research include international and comparative political economy, international security, and the politics of East Asia, particularly Japan.
Lipscy’s forthcoming book from Cambridge University Press, Renegotiating the World Order: Institutional Change in International Relations, examines how countries seek greater international influence by reforming or creating international organizations.  His research addresses a wide range of substantive topics such as international cooperation, the politics of energy, the politics of financial crises, the use of secrecy in international policy making, and the effect of domestic politics on trade.  He has also published extensively on Japanese politics and foreign policy.  
Lipscy obtained his PhD in political science at Harvard University. He received his MA in international policy studies and BA in economics and political science at Stanford University.  Lipscy has been affiliated with the Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies and Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University, the Institute of Social Science at the University of Tokyo, the Institute for Global and International Studies at George Washington University, the RAND Corporation, and the Institute for International Policy Studies.