OECD–EU Soft Governance and Educational Reform in Greece: PISA, Accountability, and Digital Transformation

Abstract

This study examines the mechanisms through which cooperation between the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the European Union (EU) shaped the orientation of Greek education policy between 2015 and 2026. Its point of departure is the OECD’s institutional role, the development of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), and the earlier Greek debate on educational evaluation. This historical foundation is extended through recent international research. Comparative measurement, peer review, policy recommendations, European funding, and digital competence frameworks are analysed as interconnected instruments of soft governance. The study follows a qualitative synthesis that combines institutional document analysis, secondary interpretation of PISA evidence, and comparisons involving Greece, Iceland, Sweden, Portugal, South Korea, and China. The findings indicate that international indicators do not transfer mechanically into national policy. They become influential when they are connected to domestic administrative capacity, political legitimacy, teachers’ professional learning, and credible implementation monitoring. A four-stage framework is proposed, tracing the movement from an international signal to national mediation, school-level enactment, and educational outcomes. Equity, sample representativeness, privacy, and the prevention of teaching narrowly to the test are treated as essential safeguards. The framework reframes PISA as a source of diagnostic and professional learning rather than a league table and offers a practical basis for evaluating future Greek reforms.