Principal Investigator: Andrea Leitner
Project Duration: May 2016 – July 2017
Financing: Land Tirol

Project Information: The organization of social progress and the conditions for gender equality are mainly influenced by regional aspects, whether infrastructure supports family work and the economic, social and political participation of women. The empirical analysis on gender differences in Tyrol shows how regional factors like housing, educational and employment opportunities, provided infrastructure as well as social attitudes and norms determine the everyday lives of women and men. Comparative empirical analysis on Tyrol and Austria as well as on the differences within Tyrol show regional disparities in gender equality. 

Principal Investigator: Andrea Leitner
Project Members: Anna Dibiasi, Karin Schönpflug
Project Duration: May 2011 – June 2017
Financing: City of Vienna – MA57

Project Information: Gender monitoring is an essential tool to raise awareness for inequalities and to improve gender equality by evidence based policies. In a participative process including professional experts of the City of Vienna and researchers of different topics and based on previously defined equality objectives a set of gender indicators was developed. The Gender Monitor relates to a broad understanding of equality going beyond the usual topics and indicators. The second wave of the gender equality monitor offers results on the progress of gender equality in Vienna in specific topics and relations between different aspects of life.

More information: Vienna Gender Euqality Monitoring Report (pdf)

Principal Investigator: Stefan Vogtenhuber
Project Duration: January 2016 – December 2016 (current term of contract; member of the consortium since 2003)
Financing: European Commission/Cedefop, cofinanced by the Federal Ministry of Education and Women's Affairs (BMBF)

Project information: The ReferNet specialist knowledge and reference network was set up by Cedefop (European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training) to meet the growing demand for information that enables comparisons to be made between the developments and political processes in the EU member states. ReferNet’s goals in Austria are to create transparency and synergies in VET research, to distribute information and research results, and to advise Cedefop.
Members of ReferNet Austria consortium are the Institute for Advanced Studies (IHS, research group equi), the Institute for Research on Qualifications and Training of the Austrian Economy (ibw) and the Austrian Institute for Research on Vocational Training (öibf).

More information: Website ReferNet

Principal Investigators: Lorenz Lassnigg, Mario Steiner, Stefan Vogtenhuber, Gabriele Pessl
Project Duration: July 2014 – March 2016
Financing: Federal Institute for Education Research, Innovation and Development of the Austrian School System (BIFIE), Federal Ministry of Education and Women's Affairs

Project Information: Preparing and co-editing of Volume 1 on statistical indicators. The Volume provides a comprehensive set of indicators which presents the provision and performance of the Austrian education system based on a detailed framework, comprising the different stages of implementation (input-process-output-outcome and context) and the policy priorities (employability - matching of supply and demand - accessibility). Specific performance dimensions specify the priorities (competences - structural employment dimensions - target groups).

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17888/nbb2015-1

Contribution of chapters to Volume 2 on in-depth analyses of principal topics in educational policy. The chapter on “early school leaving” is characterized by innovative concepts concerning quantitative and qualitative research. On the one hand side it includes a regression model, explaining early school leaving by characteristics of the education system and practice of system-actors. On the other hand side we develop a qualitative typology, explaining success and failure of educational biographies dependent on structures they are embedded in.

The chapter on „educational financing as a governance-problem“ focuses on two conflicting messages dominant in the public discourse: the perceived discrepancy between high levels of expenditure and insufficient results on the one hand, and the call for more funds in education budget to improve results on the other hand.

The chapter on „school autonomy“ relates school autonomy to the problems of governing educational systems. Alternatives to the complex structure of the Austrian educational governance structure are considered as well as the state of the art in international research on the topic.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17888/nbb2015-2