Nancy Birdsall's argument for cost recovery in university education is misleading. It is hard to allocate money only to research, since a university's research and teaching functions are interconnected. Increased resources for higher education would come from a government's education budget at the expense of primary education. In a typical…

Although in most developing countries, major vocational training programs are financed from general government revenues, earmarked payroll taxes are becoming increasingly popular. This paper summarizes international experience with these payroll taxes, distinguishing between the more traditional revenue-raising schemes of the Latin American model…

Computes intercountry and intracountry inequalities in developing countries' school enrollment rates for three educational levels, using a 1960-86 UNESCO data set. Intercountry inequality is lowest at level one and highest at level three. Intercountry and intracountry inequalities are declining. Inequalities in female enrollments are greater for…

Uses data on a large sample of secondary technical and vocational schools in Shanghai, China, to fit cost functions and evaluate the importance of economies of scale. The sample also included workers and general schools. The statistical analysis, limited to recurrent expenditure, unearthed economies of scale, particularly for technical and…

Presents a summary of research on key aspects of the indirect effects of expanding education from grade six through grade nine, followed by a comprehensive analysis of social rates of return to investment in all levels of education in Indonesia and underemployment in urban and rural areas. (three figures, nine tables, 33 references) (MLF)

The 1980s were a "lost decade" for Latin America, due to the international debt crisis. This paper explores the lost decade's effects on schooling indicators in Mexico. Falling opportunity costs improved schooling indicators at the same time a reduced national income worsened them. Enrollment rates were stagnant. (33 references) (MLH)

If higher education costs in developing countries were shared using fees paid by higher income parents, additional resources would be generated for education. This article presents a method for computing a parent's expected contribution, which should more equitably distribute costs among students, parents, and taxpayers. Includes 10 tables and 18…

Examines student loan systems in both developed and developing countries to provide guidance on issues such as loan size, eligibility criteria, and repayment terms. Experience suggests that student loans in developing countries are feasible, but that benefits may be more modest than previously suggested. Includes two notes and 23 references. (MLH)

Discusses problems with reallocating public resources for education in developing countries from higher to lower education levels. There is a case for maintaining and even increasing higher education spending, as long as public funds can be directed to research and other "public good" functions. The true social rate of return to certain…

Exploits a unique data set (EDRURAL) from three northeastern states of Brazil to investigate the complementarities of health with school attainment and cognitive achievement. The promotion models and value-added achievement models demonstrate the value of students' visual acuity. Achievement models highlight the role of good nutrition. Eye…

Investigates gender differences in determinants of three schooling indicators (grade attainment, current enrollment, and withdrawal from school) in a poor urban area in Guinea. Raising household income leads to greater investments in girls' schooling. Improving fathers' education benefits both sexes' education; improving mothers' education…

In many developing countries financial constraints restrict school enrollment to low levels. Empirical evidence from Malawi is used in a simulation model to show that families are willing to pay for education and that scholarships can offset the equity effects of user charges. Appended are 18 references. (MLF)

Revisits key school effectiveness measurement issues: difficulties in evaluating school effectiveness from behavioral data due to observation/measurement problems; evidence on marginal values of schooling outputs and schooling production relations; methodological issues in underlying studies and their carryover to cost-benefit estimates; and…

Uses household survey data from 12 Latin American countries to assess how teacher salaries compare to other workers' salaries. Results show great variability from one country to another. When statistical controls are introduced for the differential education, hours worked, and gender composition, the earnings differential between the two groups…

Estimates internal rates of return on primary, secondary, and university education in Chile between 1960 and 1985. Results show a declining time-trend in rates of return (especially social rates) attributable to expansion of the education system, the shift of labor demand from middle education to primary skills, and increasing real costs of…