The macroeconomic trends shaping the United States economy and the effects of those trends on higher education are considered. Warning institutions of higher education about possible problems in the economy will place them in a better position to react if necessary. The economic environment is discussed in terms of productivity (goods and services…

This summary of the plans for additional research in the project called "Vocational Training and Regional Development" lists the following aspects and criteria of the common evaluation approach: regional framework conditions, program structure, organizational features, pedagogical approach, and procedure in evaluating the success of the…

Trends and issues in higher education are discussed in six papers from the 1983 annual meeting of the American Association of Presidents of Independent Colleges and Universities. In "Innovation Versus Reform in Higher Education" Alston Chase reviews trends, including citizenship instruction, the general education movement, a focus on science,…

The seven articles in this monograph explore the relationship between legislation and policies/regulations directed at the education of students with special educational needs, and actual practices in schools and classrooms. The first article, "The Impact of Special Education Legislation on Schooling: A United States Perspective" (Mary Lynn…

This paper describes the organization and planning for research and development in Sweden, particularly the role of higher education. A section on policies notes that the state has overall responsibility to fund basic research and the training of research workers. Issues receiving particular attention include environmental problems and new…

Expenditures on further education (FE) in England were examined as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR), which was a zero-based budgeting exercise performed by the Labour government for a 3-year period covering 1999-2002. The CSR increased total FE funding by 7% in 1999-2000. When the anticipated 5% increase in FE enrollments and…

This essay reports on a roundtable of higher education leaders, association heads, government officials, and public policy experts that examined the changes in policymakers' attitudes toward federally sponsored research. Since World War II national science policy has made universities the principal locus of basic research in the United States. But…

Although federal involvement in education has been reduced in the 1980's under the Reagan Administration's "New Federalism," it is far from clear that state and local governments are willing and able to adequately compensate for this decreasing involvement to ensure educational equity and quality. In the current debate over federalism,…

In 1983, management of public policy regarding vocational training in France was partially entrusted to France's regional authorities. However, division of responsibility for defining and implementing vocational training programs and policies among state, regional authorities, and professional organizations remained an issue. The regions were…

This document summarizes the debates that occurred at a European seminar on the adaptation of workers to industrial change. The document begins with the following three speeches: "The Challenges of Adapting Workers to Industrial Change" (Dominique Balmary); "Objective 4 of the Structural Funds: A Response to the Double Challenge of…