Discussed is the new conservatism that is reflected in American economic circles today. Economists and organizations that are responsible for this new vitality in procapitalist economics are highlighted, including Arthur Laffer, Milton Friedman, William Allen, and Frederich Hayek. (JMD)

Carter's proposed cabinet-level Department of Education would consolidate the grant programs, job training, early childhood education, literacy training, and other functions scattered throughout the government. This former assistant secretary of HEW supports the plan and offers suggestions for its effectiveness. (LBH)

An assessment of the effects on Indian higher education of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's declaration of internal emergency concludes that dissent, unrest, and laxness have been banished from campuses, the curriculum and structure of higher education are not affected, but teachers in some fields are constrained for fear of political repression.…

Higher education in India has returned to normal after cessation of the declared Emergency by Indira Gandhi, with increased student and faculty militancy as well as the emergence of strong pressures for increased governmental control over the university. (LBH)

Recent policy changes and conflicts within Australian higher education hold some lessons for other countries. States are encouraged to take an active and early role in planning to avoid confusion, especially by beginning planning before budget cuts are taken. (MSE)

A member of the Commission on the Year 2000 recalls the practical hazards and psychic rewards of forecasting the future of a nation. (Editor/LBH)

The Clinton administration's proposed national service program for college students receiving federal financial aid is examined from a labor-market perspective. It is proposed that national service and higher education be linked more formally than in the current proposal, avoiding considerable bureaucracy and potentially improving program quality.…

America's nonprofit sector is seen as being in deep trouble. Difficulties include: escalating labor costs, a disinclination on the part of Americans to make charitable gifts, necessity to adjust to major demographic and geographical shifts, and enlarged government operations that have resulted in undercutting the viability of private institutions.…

Issues of equal educational opportunity are seen to be transformed into issues of effectiveness, efficiency, or cultural pluralism. It is suggested that issues of equal educational opportunity are likely to be resolved only by reducing the capacity of the educational system itself to determine the future and the value of individuals. (MLW)