Leslie Massey
The Austrian school system is known for its high quality and accessibility, with compulsory education starting at the age of six and lasting for nine years. During these nine years, students attend four years of elementary school and five years of secondary school. After completing compulsory education, students have a variety of options, including vocational training, high school, or entering the workforce. The Austrian school system is also known for its two-track system, which has been a subject of debate, with proponents arguing for its performance-oriented nature and critics pointing out its rigidity and lack of equal opportunity. Outside of the traditional school system, homeschooling and international schools are also options for students in Austria. The country's educational quality is widely regarded as high, with Austrian students performing above average compared to other European countries in 2015.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Origin | Vienna, 1871 |
| Originator | Carl Menger |
| Other notable figures | Eugen von Böhm-Bawerk, Friedrich von Wieser, Ludwig von Mises, Friedrich August von Hayek |
| Opposed to | Historical school |
| Emphasizes | Processes of cause-and-effect in real-world economics, the implications of time and uncertainty, the role of the entrepreneur, and the use of prices and information to coordinate economic activity |
| Economic theory | Should be exclusively derived from basic principles of human action |
| Economic decision-making | Performed over specific quantities of goods, the units of which provide some additional benefit (or cost) and that economic analysis should focus on these additional units and their associated costs and benefits |
| Education in Austria | Divided into public, private, and international schools |
| Schooling | Mandatory up until the age of 15, through to ninth grade |
| Schooling years | 9 years |
| Primary school | Mandatory for all students, takes place at a Volksschule or Grundschule, caters to students aged 6-10 |
| Secondary school | Students aged 10-14 or 15 will attend a junior high (Hauptschule) or secondary school (Kooperative Mittelschule) |
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What You'll Learn
Austrian school of economics
The Austrian school of economics, founded in 1871 in Vienna, is a heterodox school of economic thought that advocates strict adherence to methodological individualism. The school believes that social phenomena arise primarily from individuals' motivations, actions, and self-interest. Theorists from this school hold that economic theory should be derived solely from basic principles of human action.
The Austrian school was founded by Carl Menger, along with economists Eugen von Böhm-Bawerk and Friedrich von Wieser, and others. Menger's 1871 book, 'Principles of Economics', is considered the founding text of the school. In his book, Menger argued that economic analysis is universally applicable and that individual subjective preferences and the margin on which decisions are made are essential to economic theory. This idea is known as marginalism, and it was developed alongside William Stanley Jevons and Leon Walras. Menger's work built upon the ideas of the Salamanca School of economic thought, which emerged in 16th-century Spain and also advocated for free-market principles.
The Austrian school was methodologically opposed to the Historical School, a dispute known as the Methodenstreit or methodology quarrel. The Historical School, dominant in German-speaking countries, argued that economic science could not generate universal principles and that scientific research should be focused on historical circumstances. In contrast, the Austrian school defended the role of theory in economics as distinct from historical circumstances. This dispute led to the coining of the term 'Austrian school' by Gustav von Schmoller, a leader of the Historical School, in an attempt to disparage the former school.
In the 1970s, the Austrian school gained renewed interest when Friedrich August von Hayek shared the 1974 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences with Gunnar Myrdal. Today, Austrian economic ideas are promoted by universities and privately funded organizations worldwide, including George Mason University, New York University, and the Mises Institute.
The Austrian school has contributed several key ideas to economic theory, including the subjective theory of value, marginalism in price theory, and the formulation of the economic calculation problem. Austrian economists also emphasize the importance of production over consumption in a country's economic development. They argue that central banks' actions, such as manipulating interest rates and the money supply, are the primary causes of business cycles.
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Two-track secondary system
The Austrian two-track secondary system has been a topic of debate, with proponents defending it as performance-oriented and critics pointing out its rigidity and inherent absence of equal opportunity. The system comprises two types of public secondary schools: the AHS (Academic Secondary School or Gymnasium) and the MS (Mittelschule or Hauptschule).
The AHS offers a comprehensive and broad general education, focusing on liberal arts, humanities, and learning different languages such as English, Latin, and French. It also prepares students for a certain type of university education. The AHS can be selective about which students it accepts based on academic performance. After completing the AHS, students can pursue higher education at universities or universities of applied sciences in Austria.
On the other hand, the MS is a compulsory public secondary school that accepts all students without an assessment of their elementary school performance. It caters to students who may want to pursue apprenticeships or vocational training later on. The MS offers instruction tailored to the interests, abilities, and skills of its pupils, including basic vocational skills and general education.
After completing the MS, students can either continue their education with advanced courses leading to a diploma examination or pursue further vocational training. It is important to note that the Austrian school system allows for flexibility within the two-track system, enabling students to make educational and career decisions at an older age.
The two-track system has been criticised by some political parties, such as the SPÖ, which advocates for a comprehensive middle school that combines the Hauptschule and the first four years of the AHS. They argue that the current system lacks equal opportunity and is too rigid. However, other parties, like the Austrian People's Party, firmly support the current system, believing that a comprehensive middle school could lower standards and not adequately accommodate different levels of capability and talent.
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Early childhood education
Austria has a free and public school system, and nine years of education are mandatory. The first four years of compulsory education are completed in primary schools (known as Volksschule or Grundschule), which caters to students aged six to ten. The local state authority administers primary schools in the region, but they are funded by the federal government. Public primary education is free in Austria and the quality is widely considered to be very high. However, options are more limited for children who do not speak German. Expat students enrolled in German-speaking Austrian schools may struggle to adjust to the language and the system of education, so many expat parents opt for international or bilingual schools instead.
After primary school, from age ten, children can attend either a junior high school or secondary school (Hauptschule, or Kooperative Mittelschule), or in certain provinces, a ‘new middle school’ (Neue Mittelschule) or the lower grades of a higher general secondary school (allgemeinbildende höhere Schule (AHS) also called Gymnasium). All school types comprise four educational levels. The ninth school year (age 14-15) can be completed at a polytechnical school (Polytechnische Schule) or in other types of schools, such as special schools for disabled children or children with special educational needs.
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Higher education
Austria has a long tradition of higher education, with institutions spread across the country, including in its capital, Vienna. The country's higher education institutions are diverse, offering excellence in multiple fields. The quality of education is high, and Austria's education system ranks 6th among 63 countries worldwide for talent competitiveness, according to the 2020 Institute for Management Development (IMD) World Talent Report.
Austria's higher education system includes 23 independently run public universities, 21 universities of applied sciences, and 16 private universities. Public universities offer free tuition, with students paying modest fees. The universities of applied sciences offer vocationally-oriented courses of study, and specialized universities focus on arts, medicine, applied sciences, and teacher education.
Admission to universities is based on a school-leaving certificate from a higher-level secondary school or a special university entrance exam. Universities of applied sciences may also consider previous vocational or technical experience. The Erasmus+ Program is a popular scholarship program that funds students to study, teach, complete internships, or collaborate internationally with partner higher education institutions.
English is the first foreign language learned by Austrians, often as early as primary school. As a result, Austrian students generally have strong English skills, which contributes to their interest in studying abroad in the United States, including in STEM, liberal arts, and professional degree programs.
Austria also offers many opportunities for academics, including assistant professors, professors, and visiting professors, with excellent salaries and working conditions. The country provides generous tax benefits to attract scientists and researchers from outside the country.
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Homeschooling
Austrian law requires that the education provided through homeschooling is at least equivalent to that offered in public schools. To demonstrate this equivalence, homeschoolers must take annual exams in all major subjects, and their performance is evaluated against the state curriculum requirements. A mandatory "reflection talk" is also required between the school and the family before the end of the school year. If a school board determines that the quality of homeschooling is not equivalent to public schooling, they may prohibit the family's right to homeschool. However, it is possible to appeal this decision to the governing education body, the Landesschulrat or Bildungsdirektion (educational head office for each Austrian state).
Austria provides various forms of support to parents, including a general family allowance, tax credits for children, and supplements for children with severe disabilities. These benefits can help offset the costs associated with homeschooling, such as educational resources and extracurricular activities for social development. Overall, homeschooling in Austria offers families the flexibility to tailor their children's education while ensuring it meets the required standards.
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Frequently asked questions
The Austrian School is a heterodox school of economic thought that originated in Vienna in 1871 with the works of Carl Menger, an economist who lived from 1840 to 1921. It is also referred to as the "Vienna School", "psychological school", or "causal realist economics". Austrian-school theorists hold that economic theory should be exclusively derived from basic principles of human action.
Austrian economists emphasize processes of cause-and-effect in real-world economics, the implications of time and uncertainty, the role of the entrepreneur, and the use of prices and information to coordinate economic activity. The Austrian School is set apart by its belief that the workings of the broad economy are the sum of smaller individual decisions and actions.
The Austrian School assumes that the government's "fine-tuning" through expansions and contractions in the money supply are the cause of business cycles due to the differing impact of the resulting interest rate changes on different stages in the structure of production. Austrian economist Thomas Woods argues that it is not consumption, but rather production that should be emphasized.
Austrian Business Cycle Theory (ABCT) was created by Ludwig von Mises, who combined the economic theories of Menger and Bohm-Bawerk with the ideas of Swedish economist Knut Wicksell on money, credit, and interest rates. ABCT is the most familiar, but also widely misunderstood, aspect of the Austrian School.
