“We help Germany create greater equality.” Logics and rationales in exporting ‘Scandinavian’ early childhood education and care

The study investigates how the Scandinavian kindergarten model is represented and commercialised when exported to other countries, with a particular focus on Germany. The researchers investigate how ideas and perceptions of the Scandinavian kindergarten model are used by commercial actors in the global kindergarten industry. The study addresses how a large Swedish education company, anonymised as EducaCorp, expands its operations in Germany, and how the company uses perceptions of the Scandinavian kindergarten model to market and legitimise its business activities. The research questions are:

1. How can the export of the Scandinavian kindergarten model be understood through social, political and phantasmatic logics?
2. What characterises the ‘Scandinavian kindergarten model’ in the context of EducaCorp’s exports?
3. How is the Scandinavian kindergarten model institutionalised, transformed and absorbed when exported to Germany?
4. Why do the ideas of the Scandinavian kindergarten resonate, and what makes these perceptions take hold in a commercial kindergarten context?

The study found that the Scandinavian kindergarten model, when exported to Germany, is based on four main elements: equality, the autonomous child, the integration of care and learning, and outdoor pedagogy. These elements are used to create a positive picture of the Scandinavian kindergarten model and what a healthy and good childhood should consist of. The study shows that these ideas take hold because they promise social justice, modern pedagogy and economic growth. However, the researchers behind the study believe that this portrayal hides the political and ideological aspects of commercialisation and capitalism.

The analyses are based on data that include documents from EducaCorp, the company’s website and interviews with senior executives. The material covers the years 2014-2022 and includes annual reports, quality reports, segment reports, press releases, presentations and a video from a seminar. In addition, a semi-structured interview was conducted with six key representatives from EducaCorp.

Carlbaum, S., & Rönnberg, L. (2023). “We help Germany create greater equality.” Logics and rationales in exporting ‘Scandinavian’ early childhood education and care. Education Inquiry, 15(1), 11–29.

Online year: 2023

Issue year: 2024

Review year: 2023