Sloat and Willms (2000) expressed alarm over the finding that Canada's "results are markedly worse than those of nearly all European countries and stand in sharp contrast to the results of Sweden" (p. 217). A recent study used the IALS dataset to compare literacy-related activities of adults in Canada and Sweden (Kapsalis, 2001). In addition to the overall difference in adult literacy levels between the two countries, two other findings are significant. First, the literacy levels of Swedish adults were less dependent on the level of schooling completed than were those of Canadian adults. Secondly, literacy levels in Sweden were less closely related to socio-economic status (SES) than they were in Canada (Milner, 2002; Tuijnman & Boudard, 2001). Are differences in lifelong learning opportunities influenced by public policy in the two countries, and to what extent might public policy account for these reported differences in adult literacy levels?

The Question

Adult literacy levels are the result of a complex interplay of schooling, cultural, and historical factors. Government policy is one of the few contributing factors amenable to intervention. While a comparative study of public policy at the macro-level can reveal differences in the intent of policy, the individual experience of policy at the micro-level better explains policy outcomes. Within countries, the impact of central policy may differ regionally because of differences in resources and opportunities. How does public policy accommodate internal regional and sectoral differences within each country?