This book represents one result of the international conference on "Lifelong Learning as an Affordable Investment," held December 6-8, 2000 in Ottawa, Canada. It examines the economic and financial issues that arise in implementing lifelong learning and considers how the public and private sectors are actually addressing or might address them. Information for the six-chapter book was drawn from analyses, findings, and lessons from various components of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's (OECD's) work on financing lifelong learning, as well as from material from the Organization's thematic reviews on early childhood education and care, transitions from education to work, tertiary education, and adult learning. Chapter 1 lays out the broad questions that the report is intended to address. Chapter 2 analyzes the important economic and social factors behind the drive for lifelong learning, identifying some current gaps and imbalances that these trends have caused. Chapter 3 begins to establish a framework for a funding strategy source of funds, size of the task, and rationale for government intervention. Chapter 4 examines the costs and benefits of learning at different stages of the life cycle, suggesting reforms and identifying ways in which costs may be reduced and benefits increased in the future, thereby strengthening incentives to invest in lifelong learning. Chapter 5 highlights general funding issues relevant to lifelong learning and examines possible new funding mechanisms. The final chapter examines ways in which policy thinking will need to change to meet the lifelong learning challenge. A summary of the proceedings from the conference is appended. (Contains 81 references, 25 figures, 17 tables, and 6 boxes.) (KC)