This book contains 13 papers examining innovations in measuring adults' basic skills and analyzing adult literacy policy. The following papers are included: "Series Preface" (Daniel A. Wagner); "Foreword" (Torsten Husen); "Introduction" (Albert Tuijnman); "Adult Basic Skills: Policy Issues and a Research Agenda" (David Stern, Albert Tuijnman); "The Contribution of Literacy to the Wealth of Individuals and Nations" (Sue E. Berryman); "Self-Assessed Skill Needs and Job Performance" (Peter Cappelli, Nikolai Rogovsky); "Adult Literacy Assessment in Comparative Contexts" (Daniel A. Wagner); "Abilities and Competencies in Adulthood: Lifespan Perspectives on Workplace Skills" (Jacqui Smith, Michael Marsiske); "Measuring Adult Basic Skills: A Literature Review" (Stan Jones); "European Traditions in Literacy Research and Measurement" (Max van der Kamp); "Proxy Measurement of Adult Basic Skills: Lessons from Canada" (T. Scott Murray); "Using Large-Scale Assessment Results to Identify and Evaluate Generalizable Indicators of Literacy" (Irwin S. Kirsch, Ann Jungeblut); "The Role of Incentives in Literacy Survey Research" (Leyla Mohadjer et al.); "Information Trade-Offs in Large Scale Assessments" (Andrew Kolstad); "Using Large-Scale Assessments to Set Educational Policy: An Agenda-Analytic Approach" (Peter B. Mosenthal); and "Literacy Assessment in the Service of Literacy Policy" (Richard L. Venezky). (MN)