Major demographic changes around the world. Disproportionate sovereign debt. A shift from North America, Western Europe, and Japan to emerging economies as centers of growth. Unprecedented levels of market risk and volatility. The structure of the global economy is undergoing significant changes. Michael Oyster, managing principal of Fund…

In today's steadily progressing economic transformation, and against the background of setting up a harmonious society and striving for a balanced educational development, a reform of the financing system for China's early childhood education is inevitable. However, this reform must be conducted within the framework of social and educational…

Regulation refers to governmental restrictions over enterprise in order to protect public interest. Research on governmental regulation in China primarily focuses on public utility, and inadequate attention has been paid to regulating college tuition. Currently, although the educational administrative agencies have successfully kept college…

Chaoyang township is one of the poorest townships in a national-level impoverished county in the southwest. Statistics show that the average per capita income for farming families was RMB1,931 per year in 2006. Before the highway came through the area, the residents of Chaoyang township had to walk for two whole days across mountain ranges to get…

The policy of "two exemptions and one subsidy" (TEOS), which is a "popular sentiment" project, has brought life to the western region's rural education and light to impoverished families. In addition to launching the battle for the "two basics" in the western region, the overall popularization of distance education…

Since 2001, the Chinese central government has begun to take on more financial responsibility for basic education beginning with a modest RMB100 million to provide free textbooks to poor students in western rural areas. This practice has been gradually expanded with the central government providing free textbooks to a widening pool of poor rural…

This article is an open letter of a group of early childhood education (ECE) practitioners to Premier Wen Jiabao. This open letter was written with one goal in mind: to ask Premier Wen's government to take measures to protect young children and support early childhood education. These practitioners have become worried about the many accidents that…

This paper is a keynote speech delivered at the National Symposium of Early Childhood Education) held by the Ministry of Education, December 16-19, 2004. In this paper, Jiang Jin first analyzed the difficulties and challenges that China faced in the development of early childhood education (ECE), including the partially dissolved ECE system,…

In many countries today, public higher education operates within some form of market framework, typically a government-regulated quasi-market. However, having created a market environment, how should the government agencies involved act when they wish to use higher education to achieve a particular policy goal? This paper considers the impact on…

Lacking guidance of general equilibrium (GE) theories in public economics and the corresponding proper mechanisms, China has not surprisingly witnessed an inequality in educational expenditures across regions as well as insufficiency of funds for education in poor areas. It is wrongly thought that what happens is due to the decentralized financing…

Identifies current problems of education and proposes means for improving Tai nationality schools. Discusses the language problem, the quality of teachers, budgeting concerns, and effects caused by cultural uniqueness. Offers specific ways to overcome these problems and improve the educational level of Tai nationality students. (KO)

The nature, characteristics, and sources of investments in all levels of education in China are discussed in this special issue. At present there are imbalances in educational spending in the Chinese system, which overwhelmingly favor higher education. (RM)

Describes the growth of vocational and technical education in China. Expresses concern that newer vocational and technical schools may not meet desired standards. Suggests that low quality may be due to inadequate budgets, facilities, faculty, and sources of students. Calls for increased attention to poorer quality schools and reduced educational…

Describes problems with vocational and technical education in China. Asserts that (1) school density is too high and size is too low; (2) the establishment of specializations is irrational; (3) the ratio of students to relevant employment is low; (4) teaching materials for the specializations are inadequate; and (5) teacher training and employment…

This monograph contains 14 papers on the role of higher education in the developing world stimulated by discussion of that issue in "Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience" (World Bank, 1994). The first two papers offer background on the World Bank paper: "World Bank Traditions of Support to Higher Education and…