Edward Elgar Publishing Education and Economic Performance (The International Library of Critical Writings in Economics series)

Throughout the developed and developing worlds, education spending is seen as a key tool for government policy makers in the quest for economic growth. Promoting 'human capital' development is a prime objective for economic and education ministries. The seminal articles in this essential volume include early classics which explain why education became central to productivity debates and more recent papers which elucidate the enormous controversies in this important field. This collection, with an original introduction by the editors, will be of great interest to academics and students interested in growth, productivity, innovation and economic performance. Review ‘The book under review is a rich selection with overviews, macro level and cross country investigations and micro level case studies, with in-depth, scholarly theoretical and analytical contributions to various economic aspects of education – how education influences the performance of the individuals in the labour market. The theoretical, methodological and empirical insights the various contributors provide are valuable and researchers would find the book immensely useful.’ -- Jandhyala B.G. Tilak, Journal of Educational Planning and Administration ‘Issues concerning education and economic performance are at the heart of debates about education in contemporary society. The articles in this collection will be an essential resource for academics, policy makers and practitioners with an interest in this area’. -- Professor Sir Robert Burgess, University of Leicester, UK ‘Simultaneously a marvellous compendium – from the classics to current state of the art – and a challenge for future research. The messages are timely and important: that the link between education and individual earnings is clear, that between education and individual productivity less so, and that between education and national economic performance with much still to understand.’ -- Nicholas Barr, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK ‘The relationship between education and national economic competitiveness seems so taken-for-granted these days that it is rarely examined systematically. Nor is the claim subjected to historical analysis in ways that help us to understand the grip that the model has on policymakers globally. This excellent and masterly-edited collection by Alison Wolf and Sandra McNally remedies these omissions in comprehensive form. As such, it throws invaluable academic light on global model diffusion in the contemporary world. But it also acts as an important corrective to the often unthinking economism that appears to grip higher education policymakers when considering reform to their national systems and thus potentially acts as an important guide to those decision makers wise enough to read this impressive book.’ -- Roger King, Open University, UK About the Author Edited by Alison Wolf, Sir Roy Griffiths Professor of Public Sector Management, King’s College London, UK and Sandra McNally, Director, Education Programme, Centre for Economic Performance, London School of Economics, UK