Recent discourse about the fourth industrial revolution has revealed several issues in Korea, suggesting the need for fundamental changes in the industrial structure and higher education systems, which can prepare Korea for potential periods of technological unemployment. For example, labour expenses in Korea are predicted to be rapidly reduced if…

This study examines the Korean Government's policy scheme of setting up the World-Class University (WCU) Project by investigating the perceptions of major actors, including WCU scholars and government officials. In-depth interviews were held with 18 WCU scholars and three government officials. Our findings suggest that the limits of the…

This study considers the extensive critique of the impact of the "market" or "neoliberal" model on learning and its outcomes in the light of alternative models. The purpose is to consider the potential impacts of the market on learning and its outcomes and to contextualise critique by considering alternative coordination…

The relationship between the state and higher education institutions has always been a complex one. The "state" itself in this context is a heterogeneous mix of elite people--bureaucrats, politicians, committees of co-opted academics and business leader--and it increasingly faces pressures from diverse stakeholders, including students…

A growing number of national and local governments view child development accounts (CDAs) as an innovative policy tool for social and economic development. This article reviews the global landscape of CDAs, presents three CDA policy cases from Asia, analyzes main themes and discusses potential implications for China. (Contains 1 table.)

The objective of this dissertation is to explore the socio-cultural contextualization of the digital divide in Japanese society. I undertake this task by developing a theoretical and methodological framework based on the notion of "culture as models," while explicating the cultural dimensions of the digital divide and the dynamics of…

During the past several decades, the Korean higher education sector has experienced tremendous expansion, while the quality of teaching and research has not improved very much. Despite the fact that higher education had to rely on the private sector for most of its finance and provision, market competition among higher education institutions has,…

This paper discusses policies to improve fiscal relations between levels of government to better meet the needs of citizens, an objective of the government's "Roadmap for Decentralisation". Although local government accounts for around half of total government spending, they have little autonomy and fiscal resources vary sharply between…

This collection of nine articles presents case studies of educational reform and change in 10 nations, focusing on the changing role of government involvement in higher education. The articles are: (1) "University-State Relations in Britain: Paradigm of Autonomy" (Peter Scott); (2) "Changing Conceptions of State-University…

The current state of rehabilitation for persons with disabilities in the Asia and Pacific Region is outlined in a series of national or regional descriptions. The descriptions focus on such aspects as the incidence of disabilities, education, demographic and economic factors, attitudes, government policy and initiatives, non-government initiatives…

Analysis of early childhood human resource development and management policies in South Korea and six other countries precipitated guidelines for establishing national policy for early childhood education and care (ECEC) in South Korea. The guidelines address basic principles, educational purpose, early childhood education and care operation,…

This literature survey analyzes the process of industrial restructuring as it is occurring in the Republic of Korea, Japan, Singapore, and the United States. It looks in particular at how various agents of education and training in these countries--the school system, public and private education and training institutions and firms--are responding…

With inputs of labour and capital slowing, sustaining high growth rates in Korea will increasingly depend on total factor productivity gains, which are in turn driven to a large extent by innovation. While a number of Korean firms are at the world technology frontier in areas such as ICT, the diffusion of technology to lagging sectors is a…

These proceedings contain an introduction and 26 papers arranged in five sections: (1) People's Republic of China and Taiwan (Republic of China); (2) Hong Kong, Singapore, and Thailand; (3) Korea; (4) Japan and the Western Pacific; and (5) United States. Paper titles and authors are as follows: "Recent Social Security Policies and…