Overview

Education has significant and far-reaching effects not only on individuals, but also on the societies in which they live and to which they contribute. The education level of a population affects how a country supports itself and others and the degree to which it can participate in the global field. While everyone from politicians to policymakers to celebrities has stressed the importance of education, there has not been-until now-a vigorous yet comprehensible examination of data to support what has long been common knowledge: education matters. In Education Matters: Global Gains from the 19th to the 21st Century, renowned economists Robert Barro and Jong-Wha Lee present a revolutionary new data set on education in 146 countries since 1870 and projected through 2040. With case studies from the United States, China, and Korea, Barro and Lee evaluate schooling both quantitatively and qualitatively, and assess the role of education in economic and political development. In this comprehensive study, the authors establish the critical role that education plays - particularly for women and girls - in economic growth, fertility, and democracy. The book also addresses sensitive and controversial topics, such as international disparities in education, and the role of education in modernization and development. Both challenging and enlightening, Education Matters has exciting implications for the future of education and promises to be a ground-breaking work in the fields of economics and educational attainment. Engaging and informative, Education Matters is a compelling read for students, scholars, and anyone with a passion for education.

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9780199379231

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Reviews

Barro and Lee continue to expand our knowledge of economic growth and development around the world. But, not content with simply providing new and innovative scholarship, they also open the whole area up to a broader set of researchers through development and expansion of new data on the dynamics of human capital development across countries. Their insightful and careful construction of human capital data continues their past tradition of providing the whole research community with fundamental information about how countries differ in their economic base. Eric Hanushek, Paul and Jean Hanna Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University This important book is the ultimate guide to the economics of human capital. It provides rigorous and systematic estimates of the quantity and quality of education (for both males and females) around the world since 1820, and it analyses the consequences of education on the long-run growth rates of economies, on the fertility rates of females, and on the level of freedom and democracy of nations. A 'must-read' book for anyone interested in studying how human capital, past and future, helps us understand the process of economic development. Xavier Sala-i-Martin, Jerome and Matthew Grossman Professor of Economic Development, Columbia University The meticulous work by Robert Barro and Jong-Wha Lee has substantially expanded our understanding of differences in the educational attainment of countries around the world and over time. Their book is a tour de force of providing the big picture of the importance of school attainment for the long-run development of societies. Ludger Woessmann, Professor of Economics, University of Munich and Director, Ifo Center for the Economics of Education

Author Information

Robert J. Barro is Paul M. Warburg Professor of Economics at Harvard University, a senior fellow of the Hoover Institution of Stanford University, and a research associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research. He has a Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University and a B.S. in physics from Caltech. Barro is co-editor of Harvard's Quarterly Journal of Economics and was recently President of the Western Economic Association and Vice President of the American Economic Association. He was a viewpoint columnist for Business Week from 1998 to 2006 and a contributing editor of The Wall Street Journal from 1991 to 1998. Jong-Wha Lee is a professor of economics and director of the Asiatic Research Institute at Korea University. He served as a senior adviser for international economic affairs to President of South Korea. He was also previously Chief Economist and Head of the Office of Regional Economic Integration at the Asian Development Bank and an economist at the International Monetary Fund. He has taught at Australian National University, Harvard Univeristy, and Peking University. He has contributed to Project Syndicate since 2012. He obtained his Ph.D. and Master's degrees in Economics from Harvard University, and his Master's and Bachelor's degrees in economics from Korea University.

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