This paper represents the latest in a line of papers and think pieces that the author has prepared on this topic -- for the UK government, the UK Skills and Productivity Board, and the Scottish Government and Scottish Funding Council -- since 2014. It seeks to explain why trying to bring skills supply into closer alignment with demand for skills…

The Financial Crisis of 2008 has forced countries around the globe to reevaluate their monetary and fiscal strategies for stimulating growth within their respective economies. The economic connectivity among countries has been magnified by the recent financial crisis. However, with nations at different stages in their development, the economic…

"Economic competitiveness" is at the top of national, regional and global political and economic agendas. Several countries in all regions of the world have established policies and institutions devoted to economic competitiveness, including in developing and transition countries. This leads to the question of how to define national economic…

Although there are have been some studies on National Human Resource Development and HRD practices in certain countries, literature shows that we have just scratched the surface in terms of the number of countries we know about. This exploratory study reviews research associated with HRD policies and practices in Brazil, China, India, Italy,…

One of the most striking features of the modern world is its changing demographic profile. In almost any policy arena, the issue of demographic change (or ageing) sits alongside globalisation, climate change and the knowledge revolution as areas which are transforming societies, including the ways in which we organise and go about our work…

The rapid growth and modernization of economies in developing countries like Botswana creates new and unmet demands for certain kinds of educated and skilled labour. The expansion of secondary and tertiary school systems has also created a problem of unemployed school leavers. The growth of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs),…

A central issue in economics is explaining the persistent and growing inequalities between nations in income and wealth. Traditional western economic thought has emphasized the importance of free trade to economic development, but differential access to technical knowledge has left less developed nations at a disadvantage. (IS)

The taxonomic distance from an "ideal country" is used as a composite index of relative development levels of 50 countries; measuring economic, mass media, and high-level manpower potentials, and showing acceleration of rate of increases, and underlying shifts in rank positions in years 1955, 1960, and 1965. (Author/ND)

Offered here is a narrative survey of international approaches to training for social welfare. For the purposes of the survey, social welfare tasks have been defined as those which involve the improvement of social functioning and social relationships in meeting social needs at individual, group, or community levels. The study also encompasses…

This group of articles discuss a variety of studies related to vocational training and youth unemployment in both developing and developed nations. (SSH)

Describes the establishment of the Microbiological Resources Centers (MIRCENS) by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and UNESCO. The goals of the MIRCENS and the role of regional and interregional centers are also described. (HM)

E-learning has become a significant aspect of training and education in the worldwide information economy as an attempt to create and facilitate a competent global work force. "Cases on Successful E-Learning Practices in the Developed and Developing World: Methods for the Global Information Economy" provides eclectic accounts of case…

This report is one of a series primarily intended for those engaged in or preparing for educational planning and administration--especially in developing countries--as well as for those government officials and civic leaders seeking a more general understanding of educational planning and its role in overall national development. This booklet…

The framework of an aggregate production function shows that growth of human capital is both a condition and a consequence of economic growth. The concurrent growth and diffusion of human capital, involving production of new knowledge, appears necessary to ensure sustained economic development worldwide. (TE)

Contends that it is widely believed that cheap labor in poor countries attracts foreign investors. Asserts that historical evidence indicates that past patterns of direct foreign investment in poor countries are inconsistent with the cheap-labor argument. Includes two figures and one table. (CFR)