The Storting (Norwegian Parliament) and the Government formulate the objectives for education, adopt legal frameworks (the Education Act and its regulations), and evaluate the status and condition of the day-care and education sectors. The local (428 municipalities) and 19 county authorities have the overriding responsibility for financing primary and lower secondary education. Adapted version of Theisens, H. (2012), "Effective governance front the centre”, paper presented at the First Thematic GOES Conference, 21-22 November 2012, The Hague, OECD/CERI.