The roles played by occupational education in the U.S. economy are changing. Because of the growing demand for and shrinking supply of skilled workers, economic success--of the nation and of individual members of the work force--is increasingly tied to educational and occupational attainments. Unless the nation increases its investment in…

This paper examines the government's role in financing human capital investments. It first examines why private investments in education, training, and other forms of human capital are likely to fall short of socially desirable levels. It then reviews past trends in public support for human resource investments. Finally, it discusses current…

Education in America is facing a postindustrial crisis of legitimacy brought on by the cultural contradictions of advanced American capitalism. The theorist and social critic, D. Bell, describes the most significant feature of postindustrial society as "the disjunction of realms." This concept describes the progressive division of labor…

Research indicates that the education of Philippine women pays off in the economic growth of the country. Previous research which examined women's contribution to national income in six countries indicated that levels of educational attainment and levels of per capita national income were positively or moderately associated in five of the…

During the period from 1949 to 1984, industry's share in the national economy of the Peoples' Republic of China rose from 30 percent to 60 percent. Despite raising literacy over the same period from 20 percent to over 75 percent, the Chinese educational system has failed to keep pace with the economy's rapidly expanding need for trained…

Implicit in the human capital approach of 20th-century educational rhetoric in Australia was the belief that schools imparted vocationally useful cognitive skills beyond basic literacy and numeracy. These skills were believed to be transferable to the workplace and to increase the productivity of the individual to the benefit of society. For…

After World War II, an optimistic, rationalist ideology infused with Jeffersonian values influenced worldwide educational growth. The idea of a universal, free, compulsory system replaced an older elitist ideology. The equality ideology held that (1) cultural integration was necessary for national unity and (2) a shortage of trained manpower was…

This paper questions whether public concerns about educational quality and slow economic development in Appalachia are being addressed adequately and suggests that the problem of lagging educational performance is rooted in the social and economic environment within which schools operate. Recent high unemployment in south central Kentucky and its…

The relationship of human capital formation variables and unemployment status was evaluated by interviewing 1,493 families (1 adult member responded per household) in 1975 in a 5-county area of rural, Appalachian Ohio. The primary research objective was to determine the factors predictive of length of unemployment using the "investment"…

The present status of higher education in the United States is considered, based on the theory of development of human capital, which proposes that the developed abilities of a nation's population are fundamental to its economic growth and well-being. Attention is also directed to social and cultural benefits. The following ideas are stressed:…

The relationship of postsecondary education to the economy in Ohio is discussed. Attention is focused on efforts of the Ohio Board of Regents and the Ohio Department of Development to foster economic development and revitalization. Information is included on the Ohio Board of Regents'"Master Plan for Higher Education," along with…

Using data from 1974 to 1977 National Opinion Research Center Surveys, the investigator examined differentials in income between currently employed white men and women aged 25 to 64 (sample size: 965 men and 672 women). Special attention was given to explanatory effects of occupational characteristics other than those traditionally used in the…

Findings of research conducted by Richard B. Freeman and J. Herbert Hollomon concerning the benefits of higher education are disputed. The variations in data choice and use are discussed that seem to explain differences in the findings of Freeman and a completely separate study conducted by the author. Freeman reported that the rate of return on…

Four papers are featured. The first is a statistical overview and analysis of past, present and future happenings to small communities in the Region; it focuses on two indicators: (1) population growth or declining community class size and, (2) the changing distribution of commercial outlets by community class size. The other three papers report…

The document analyzes economic factors that might cause the output of educational services to diverge from the theoretical optimum because of a divergence between marginal social valuation and marginal social cost. Education contains both investment and consumption aspects. The analysis shows that the only distortion resulting from uncertainty…