The use of demand-side financing mechanisms and vouchers for postcompulsory secondary-level education was examined through case studies of funding practices in the following countries: Austria; France; the United Kingdom; the United States; and Wallonia (the French community of Belgium). Different models of voucher use were identified in the countries studied. "Pure" vouchers with a paper coupon were found in a minority of cases (in parts of France and England/Wales). In Austria, training accounts co-fund various types of adult learning by providing funding in arrears rather than in advance of training undertaken, which eliminates the purchasing power apparent with vouchers and quasi-vouchers. The aims and targets of the various voucher and quasi-voucher schemes varied considerably. In the United Kingdom, trainees with special needs received vouchers with higher face values (to avoid the "cream skimming" that may be encouraged by flat-rate vouchers). Voucher and voucher-like schemes were found to have considerable potential to promote lifelong learning and to increase investment in training. The case studies further established that voucher and voucher-like schemes are highly flexible mechanisms that can be designed differently to meet a diverse range of economic, social, and political objectives, depending on policymakers' objectives and priorities. (Contains 54 references.) (MN)