Several developing countries have recently introduced policies supporting universal basic free education (UFBE). Experience suggests such policies often fail to increase access and quality of education, and illegal fees are widely prevalent. The literature identifies several reasons including...

Indonesia faces serious challenges in the number, cost, quality, and distribution of teachers. This paper examines the role of political economy factors in producing these challenges and shaping efforts to resolve them. It argues that the challenges have their origins in the way in which...