Examimes the effects of various measures of social capital on the likelihood of dropping out of school early. Results indicate that specific indicators of social capitol can account for all of the effect of attending a Catholic school, but for only a fraction of the effect of family structure on leaving school early. (Author/RB)

Considers the nature of rurality as a social construct and implications for policymakers considering lifelong education in developed economies of the world. Discussion focuses on three key questions: (1) what is rurality?; (2) what effect has rurality on cultural identity; and (3) what are rural and urban young people's perceptions of formal…

Tuition and financial aid affect higher education access and institutional budgeting practices. California's public system has the lowest fees for community college, midrange for the California State University, and highest for the University of California. Although Federal Pell and State Cal Grants soften the tuition burden, the system relies…

Introduces a collection of articles that illustrate lessons learned from global issues in education and focus on four categories: finance and administration, the role of policy and research, human capital and social cohesion (outcomes of schooling), and multilateral development banks and religious organizations. (SM)

Reviews public education in the United States during the 20th century through an exploration of the "virtues" of mass education, such as public funding, a practical curriculum, and secular control of schools. Argues that many of these virtues were situational and may now be considered vices. (Contains three graphs.) (WFA)

Surveys efforts to assess rates of return to education in developing countries. Compares estimates based on regression techniques to those produced by direct measurement. Discusses noneconomic effects of education on health and fertility. Examines the links among education, economic growth, and fertility, using a simulation model of overlapping…

Argues that urban policy should entail a unifying mix of economic, physical, and social initiatives that emphasize job creation and retention and social equity. The author explores a proposal for urban policy involving neighborhood-based planning, regulation of capital flight, local development funding, human capital formation, physical…

Examines recent initiatives of state governments and boards in developing economic development policy with community colleges as active partners. Places the policy discussion within a human capital framework, considering the state role in building human capital, and the building of human and physical capital through technical training. (DMM)

Discusses problems in meeting the goal of education for all in developing countries. Includes lack of teachers and instructional material. Describes financial requirements, trends in resource allocation, and external aid for primary education. Suggests external donors concentrate on support for building national capacity, weighting funding for…

Examines relationship between employment earnings and farm wives' decisions to work off-farm. Examines effects of wives' human capital, home factors, and labor market on work decisions and earnings. Education, experience, debt, and farm size were stronger influences on wives' decisions than on their earnings variations, once employed. (TES)

The 1990 Rural Sociological Society's Task Force on Persistent Rural Poverty describes rural poverty, comparing it to urban poverty; rejects human-capital, economic-organization, and culture-of-poverty theories of rural poverty and proposes research on 10 other theories; and discusses rural policy and its inequitable emphasis on farmers. (KS)

Survey data from the Philippines, India, and Pakistan show that imperfect information about worker productivity affects wage distribution across workers and over time; employers discriminate statistically regarding productivity and wages; calorie consumption affects productivity but is not rewarded; and (4) imperfect information can lead to…

Comparative analysis of Canadian and U.K. national survey data examined educational attainment by gender, age group, and occupational category; extent of apprenticeship certification; and enrollment patterns for continuing adult education. Canada's higher educational attainment, flexible school-work transition, and higher continuing-education…

An analysis of Mexican immigrants living in 60 U.S. cities indicates that higher rates of immigrant self-employment are related to lower Mexican immigrant earnings in cities with smaller ethnic markets, but are related to small increases in overall immigrant wages in cities with larger ethnic markets. Contains 43 references. (Author/TD)

Lifelong learning is often viewed as "human resource development in drag," since debates are largely driven by economic preoccupations. Governments generally restrict their interventions to vocational, non-innovative training measures. England's faltering policy must be revamped to address needs for informal and information-age learning.…