The benefits of education are usually assessed by analyzing rates of return. Social rates of return reflect the fact that education may be provided free or at a subsidized price and that a part of any individual's income accrues to the state through taxation. But they typically do not include...

The author updates compilations of rate of return estimates to investment in education published since 1985 - and discusses methodological issues surrounding those estimates. Some key patterns: among the three main levels of education, primary education continues to exhibit the highest social...

This paper reviews the literature on the cost-effectiveness of different modes of occupational training, focusing primarily on employer-sited training, occupational training within formal education, and out of school center-based training. The literature can be divided into two categories:...

The authors use household survey data for 18 Latin American countries to assess earnings differentials by level of education, and to assess how these differentials changed in the 1980s. Introducing the cost of education allows them to estimate private and social rates of return on investments on...

As China consolidates its rapid economic gains and continues its drive toward a market-oriented environment, the country's international competitiveness will depend greatly on the quality of its human resources. China has made impressive gains in human resource development in the past two...

The authors explore differences in education in rich and poor countries by first systematically documenting the relationship between per capita GNP and various indicators of educational development. They then exploit a simple accounting identity relating the availability of resources to their...

Research shows that education has played a crucial role in raising levels of earnings and that returns to education in Mexico have increased, particularly in higher education and in the upper tail of the conditional earnings distribution. The authors examine patterns of public spending on...

One of the long standing issues in education development has been productive job training in rapidly changing economies. The argument has been made that vocational secondary schools are not well equipped for this task. Although vocational and academic schooling often result in similar levels of...

Vietnam has achieved remarkably high rates of school enrollment and has maintained good social indicators (infant and under-five mortality rates, life expectancy, fertility rate, child nutrition, and access to basic services) compared to other countries with similar low income per capita. The...

The authors examine the policy environment for investment in university development in Uganda, with special attention to the needs of Makerere University. They present data on the structure and financing of higher education, which gets a high priority in government educational spending. A second...