Target Groups on the Mainline: A Theoretical Framework of Policy Layering and Learning Disparity

Abstract

In research on policy learning, target groups’ responses have been insufficiently investigated. This article aims to expand the theory of policy learning by focusing on the effect of policy layering on disparity in learning among target groups, and its social consequences. Using the case of South Korea’s education policy, we show that policy layering to pursue multiple goals over 25 years has resulted in a complexly layered policy structure that has generated a discriminatory effect among different target groups and policy instability. We conclude that research on target groups renders implications for effective and ethical policy learning.