The influence of market economics and the neo-liberal agenda is increasing across European and other countries in the delivery of compulsory schooling. As a result there has been considerable growth in school choice research in different counties over the past twenty years (see, for example, Forsey et al 2008).  However, much of this research has remained parochial in nature, often largely located within particular nations and, in many cases, specific urban settings. As a result, it has been argued, there is often an unwillingness to engage with the wider international literature on school choice, thereby leaving school choice under-theorised. Despite a number of attempts to bring together international research on school choice, there remain very few empirical comparisons of school choice and its consequences across different countries. This paper presents analysis comparing two countries (Belgium and Wales) and two cities (Brussels and Cardiff), utilising individual national pupil data. The paper presents findings using a new innovative modelling tool, developed to simulate different impacts on the resulting school intakes by adjusting a number of key characteristics associated with processes of choice and the market – this is enormously beneficial in any international comparison where small differences in the admissions policies, the education markets, as well as socio-cultural differences in parental decision-making, may make direct observations from different settings and localities difficult to compare. The paper also adopts a geographical approach, as advocated by Taylor 2010, to bridge both the processes of school choice with the outcomes on segregation between school intakes.

The paper begins with the development of a conceptual and theoretical framework for comparing and describing the education market(s) in these two countries, before then presenting analysis of the data in each of the two countries. Comparisons are then made between the two countries using the simulation tool. We find that proximity and geography is equally important in determining school choices in both countries. We also find in both countries that the most socio-economically disadvantaged pupils are less likely to attend their nearest school than more socio-economically advantaged pupils. Because of this the research presents evidence that segregation between schools is lower in both countries than it would have been if pupils had attended their nearest school. We conclude with a more detailed comparison of two large urban markets in each country, exploring the particularities of their residential geographies and education markets, and the influence this has on understanding school choice and its impacts on schools.

Forsey, M., Davies, S. and Walford, G. (Eds) (2008) 'The Globalisation of School Choice?', Sympoisum Books, Oxford. Gorard, S., Taylor, C. and Fitz, J. (2003) 'Schools, Markets and Choice Policies', Routledge Falmer, London. Taylor, C. (2009) 'Choice, Competition, and Segregation in a United Kingdom Urban Education Market', American Journal of Education, 115, 4, 549-568.