In the midst of deep transformation in the world economy, women have new problems, and still face hurdles that prevent their full and equitable participation in the labour market. Unceasing economic globalisation and the boom in service industries have increased women's employment, despite the pressure to reduce public sector spending and the…

Workforce development is the key to future economic growth. Community colleges stand ready to play the key role in workforce development programs across the country. For community college leaders, the connection between their colleges and workforce development is obvious. Community college leaders understand, for example, that community college…

Purpose: This paper addresses the increasingly important economy of China and its associated higher vocational education and training (HVE) system. More specifically, the paper aims to present the findings of a critical review of recent developments in the HVE system in Liaoning province. Design/methodology/approach: As part of this review,…

In their book, IQ and the Wealth of Nations, Lynn and Vanhanen ([Lynn, R. and Vanhanen, T. (2002). IQ and the wealth of nations. Westport, CT: Praeger.]) proposed the hypothesis that "the intelligence of the populations has been a major factor responsible for the national differences in economic growth and for the gap in per capita income between…

The Millennium Summit held in New York in September 2000 outlined the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The first of these involves the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, setting two targets: halving by 2015 the percentage of the world's populace in 1990 with income less than US-$1 a day (i.e., cutting this percentage from 27.9 to 14%);…

Educational policy around the world has increasingly focused on improving aggregate student achievement as a means to increase economic growth. In the last two decades, attention has focused especially on the importance of achievement in science and mathematics. Yet, the policy commitments involved have not been based on research evidence. The…

"An Enterprising Approach to Regional Growth: Implications for Policy and the Role of Vocational Education and Training" explores patterns of regional economic growth in Australia over the period 1984 to 2002 with the aim of identifying the drivers of variation in regional growth; the research also aimed to identify regional…

The Rural Education Bureau of the New Mexico Public Education Department has established a program to address the special needs of schools and communities in the extensive rural areas of the state. High poverty rates, depopulation and a general lack of viable economic opportunity have marked rural New Mexico for decades. The program underway aims…

Is the United States getting it wrong when it comes to educating tomorrow's innovators in critical fields? It has been known for years that the only way to compete globally in information technology, engineering, nanotechnology, robotics and other fields is to give students the best educational opportunities possible. But do individuals have a…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) "Cities in Crisis": New Report and National Campaign Focus on the High School Dropout Crisis in the United…

Background/Context: In the field of educational research, conventional wisdom holds that primary-level schooling, specifically literacy acquisition, promotes economic mobility for individuals and economic development for the nation. This belief is rooted in human capital theory, the causal argument claiming that state investment in schooling or…

For a competitive advantage, Ohio must be sensitive to three national trends that will reshape its work force: the growing gap between the skill requirements of jobs and workers' capabilities, the slow growth of the labor force, and demands of a global economy. The future competitiveness of Ohio's economy will depend on its capacity to support the…

Relatively high levels of public assistance use, and low levels of labor force participation among recent arrivals, have focused attention on the ability of refugees to attain self-sufficiency reasonably soon after entering this country. A survey focusing on Southeast Asian refugees resettled in the United States since 1975 indicates that refugees…

A study was conducted to examine the following questions: (1) How does the United States compare with Japan, West Germany, and Sweden on the basis of indicators of quality of life?; (2) How does the United States compare on the basis of economic performance since l960?; and (3) What appears to be the relationship in the four countries between the…

The major findings of a research project on the relationship between population growth and economic development are summarized in this monograph. The study compares recent demographic and economic trends in Japan, Korea, Thailand, and Indonesia to worldwide experience as described by an econometric model of population and development. The study…