In recent decades, the OECD has grown into a significant educational policy influencer, whose recommendations have been followed by countries around the world. Many of the practices supported by the OECD, such as the PISA assessments, have been adopted as a central and integral part of the national education policy (Waldow & Steiner-Khamsi, 2019). This article examines the emergence of the OECD's influence in two Nordic countries, Finland and Norway, in the light of a historical comparison. We focus especially on OECD country visits and country reviews in the 1980s. The reason for focusing on 1980s is that it seems to constitute an important transformation period after which the OECD turned from the external actor to an author which views and recommendations began to be followed and referenced quite enthusiastically both in Finland and Norway (Rinne et al, 2004; Imsen & Volckmar, 2014). By analyzing key documents published either by OECD or local authorities (OECD, 1982; OECD, 1988), our research focuses on the rhetorical means (ethos, logos and pathos) through which the OECD's country-specific recommendations for Finland and Norway begin to look not only attractive, but also necessary. By doing so, our paper aims to remind of the discursive preparation work behind the current policy practices. In addition, we also discuss the perennial problem of external policy advice in the field of a territorially organized education system.

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