VET, democracy and philanthropy: Exercising ministerial responsibility

Based upon extensive research in a single jurisdiction, this paper explores the possibility that a similar pattern of behaviour on the part of cabinet ministers with responsibility for technical and vocational education and training can be established elsewhere. By comparing three parliamentary democracies that have assumed increased levels of local decision-making regarding the expenditure of public funds, common patterns of conduct have been identified. The shared actions of publicly elected parliamentarians are similar to those exhibited by
wealthy philanthropists in that both have access to large amounts of money and are in pursuit of specific social and economic agendas for improving the lives of targeted groups of residents. It is concluded that in order to influence these vocational education and training policy decision-makers, an understanding of what motivates philanthropic styles of behaviour must be explicitly articulated and used to frame the presentation of desired programmatic outcomes when interacting with cabinet ministers.