Indigenous groups are often associated with poverty and so are low levels of education. Guatemala and Bolivia are the two Latin American countries in which the ethnic part of the population is proportionately greatest, with Bolivia being more schooled than Guatemala. So the author tried to...

Decentralization policies are at the heart of education reform efforts in many countries internationally. Two important types of policies are those that: (a) remove barriers to private education; and (b) devolve authority and responsibility for schools from central level administrations to...

Egypt's policy on higher education, the author argues, must take account of the realities of declining government budgets and employment and increasing reliance on the private sector, which must become more competitive internationally. Education in Egypt must increase Egyptians'ability to cope...

Empirical studies on the efficacy of vocational education, mainly in developing countries - a literature now comprising dozens of evaluation studies - have been fairly unanimous in recording a negative verdict on the costs and benefits of vocational secondary education, particularly compared...

The estimated rates of return to education are typically (often considerably) above 10 percent a year in real terms - a respectable rate of return. The rates of return are highest for primary education, and higher in countries where educated manpower is scarcer, and the durability of educational...

The author explains whether national variations in curricula content and subject area - as distinct from growth in enrollment or qualitative provisions - have a significant impact on economic development. The study focuses on primary education in 60 nations and assesses the economic impact of an...

Using data from colleges and universities, the authors investigate the costs and effectiveness of higher education in Pakistan, identify factors that influence those costs and effectiveness, and estimate levels of study subsidies. Not surprisingly, they find that most colleges and universities...

The author traces the development of the World Bank's lending policies for education and draws lessons and recommendations from the Bank's experience. The Bank's lending for primary education has supported four main objectives : expanding educational opportunities, improving instructional...