Does Education Matter?: Myths About Education and Economic Growth

Description

Highly topical and controversial examination of the education system. "Education, education, education" has become an obsession for politicians and the public alike. It is seen as an economic panacea: an engine for growth and prosperity. But is there a link between increased spending on higher education and economic growth? Professor Alison Wolf takes a critical look at successive governments' education policy and challenges many of the tenets of received wisdom: there are no economic reasons for spending more on higher education in order to stimulate growth. The conclusion of this devastating book is that a large proportion of the billions poured into vocational training and university provision might be better spent on teaching the basics at primary school. Acknowledgements Introduction 1 A truly world-beating industry: the growth of formal education 2 Elixir or snake oil? Can education really deliver growth? 3 A great idea for other people’s children: the decline and fall of vocational education 4 Does business know best? 5 Why worry about training? 6 The tyranny of numbers and the growth of the modern university 7 Pyramids and payments: the higher-education market 8 Conclusion References Bibliography Index