A brief review of current issues concerning the United Nations Centre for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs (Advancement of Women Branch), and how the five basic parts of the Programme for Action are being implemented. Includes an interview on the place of working women in East Central Europe. (JOW)

High-expectation start-ups are firms launched by entrepreneurs with high ambitions for growth. The encounter between new technology and entrepreneurship that characterizes such new ventures has a significant impact on the nature and speed of economic development, driving the growth of high-technology industries and helping to make the economic…

Outlines U.S. national initiatives for local governments over the last few decades. Offers a picture of what the implications of these policies would be if carried out fully in Britain. Discusses whether the U.S. system for addressing local economic development concerns offers a better model and what really are the requirements for its…

Despite recent attempts at implementation, the government must play a more active role in promoting lifelong learning in Hong Kong. They did little until 1989, when the Open Learning Institute (OLI) was established. The OLI was innovative because it provided degree level courses for adults, without concern for prerequisite academic qualifications.…

Discussion of conditions that combine to influence the selection and implementation of instructional development as an approach to solving educational problems in developing nations focuses on prevailing traditions, economics, and internal and external politics. (MBR)

This report contains one man's impressions of the state of adult literacy education in several countries of Africa and in India. The first country reported on is Ethiopia, where signs of a capitalist society were evident in that officially Marxist country, where literacy education was still a priority in the midst of a waning famine. Ethiopia had…

Through further implementation of distance education, Chinese Taipei may both continue and increase its economic development. The benefits of lifelong learning have been demonstrated in the past 30 years by the economic growth and labor force skills development in Chinese Taipei. The founding of the National Open University, in 1986, with its…

Starting from the debate over the utility, or possibility, of educational planning, the author covers its theory and practice, concepts of educational reform, and philosophies of education. He first summarizes various critics' arguments against educational planning and then, using evidence from 95 nations' educational plans and 12 UNESCO regional…

This report consists of papers given at, relating to, and produced by an international seminar that emphasized sharing practical experience and analyzing conditions necessary to set up and sustain a literacy program. The first section provides an "Introduction" (James Porter) and "Background to the Seminar" (Alan Rogers).…

This publication contains the proceedings of a conference held to discuss adult education and the National Adult Education Programme (NAEP) in India. Four major addresses are included in the booklet, along with references to other speeches, group discussion reports, resolutions, and recommendations. Inaugurating the conference, Shri J.J. Kidwai…

Discussed are four issues of importance to educational planners who want to implement nonformal education programs: (1) definitional and identity issues--what nonformal education is; (2) policy issues--role of nonformal education in the new distribution of goods and power; (3) institutional issues--the delivery process; and (4) curricular issues.…

Now that basic skills have been linked to the economic prosperity of the country, businesses have become concerned about improving the basic skills of young people. A promising approach is the Summer Reporter Project conducted in Wisconsin as part of the summer programs of the Job Training Partnership Act. The program has three main elements: (1)…

Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have a central role to play in mobilizing the political will of governments to change the present imbalance in the distribution, consumption, and control of the world's resources. In a time of world economic crisis, millions die unnecessarily every year for lack of food, shelter, and medical care. Thirty…

An improved educational infrastructure must be developed in East and Southeast Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) countries in order to accommodate the surge of economic growth and advanced technology. The increased need for highly educated and skilled technicians can be met through a system of lifelong learning. The need for borderless…

About two-thirds of the 963 million people in the world who cannot read and write are women, according to the United Nations. Women who are illiterate cannot pass on literacy skills to their children. The United Nations proclaimed 1990 International Literacy Year and conducted conferences for literacy. Education for women and girls was designated…