Three essays are presented as part of a research project on education and the labor market. The aim of the project is to study long-term relations between education and productivity, with special attention to Swedish higher education. The first essay, by Mary Jean Bowman, deals with some broad issues in the philosophy and methodology of educational planning. The manpower approach to planning is evaluated critically. In the second essay, Asa Sohlman surveys developments in Swedish education during the present century and tries to relate them to contemporary changes in labor market allocations and income distribution. The results of educational efforts are compared with stated political aims. It is noted that any such evaluation depends on the explanatory models given for interpreting data. The explanatory models used by economists are discussed by Bengt-Christer Ysander in the third essay. Critical comments are focused on the assumption of homogeneity, and the interpretation of the term "human capital." (Author/MSE)