This article deals with the impact of soft governance through international organizations on reform processes in the field of education from a political science point of view. The PISA study shows that international organizations, even if they lack binding decision-making competences, can yield influence on the national education policy-making. International organizations facilitate discussions about upcoming issues, identify successful principles of reform, and set standards for evaluation, quality and equity in education. The impact of soft governance is, however, country dependent. By presenting the cases of Germany, USA, Mexico, Qatar, and China it will become evident that countries differ not only in terms of their educational policy context, but also in their conduct with PISA.

Schlagworte
international organizations, OECD, PISA study, soft governance, education policy, school reform