This report documents the progress made in developing and developed nations to improve health, nutrition, education, family planning, and the condition of women over the last 40 years. It presents tables that rank the world's nations and regions on: (1) the mortality rate of children under 5 years of age; (2) the percent of children under 5 years…

Socioeconomic profiles of two Canadian communities are presented in which the language spoken, an official language, is also a minority language: the French-speaking Acadian minority in an area of Prince Edward Island, and an anglophone minority in the Gaspe Peninsula. The profiles are designed to establish a comparative base from which to assess…

Examines the role of public schools in promoting social and economic progress and discusses the future costs of inadequate investments in public education. Research shows that education reduces racial and ethnic prejudice and that literacy increases worker productivity. Inadequate education is directly related to increased unemployment, welfare…

A solution to the rural health crisis will require not only changes in student selection, curriculum, and training location but also strengthening of the rural economy, improved reimbursement to rural hospitals and primary care physicians, and increased sensitivity among leaders of the medical profession to rural community and practitioner needs.…

Several recent reports which call for educational reform see the primary function of the nation's schools as serving the interests of economic productivity. A prevalent theme of these reports is that school practice should be modeled after the corporate workplace. Implications of such an environment for civic education are discussed. (IAH)

Examines reading habits of Estonians with studies dating back to the 1960s and discusses the impact of the printed word on culture. Focuses on changes since the Estonian's transition to the market economy: (1) reading has become casual and less frequent; (2) literary preferences have shifted; and (3) smaller home libraries have increased the need…

Discusses the so-called third industrial revolution, or the information revolution. Topics addressed include the progression of the revolution in the U.S. economy, in Europe, and in Third World countries; the empowering technologies, including digital switches, optical fiber, semiconductors, CD-ROM, networks, and combining technologies; and future…

There is growing consensus about schools' roles as the national agenda emphasizes economic and social improvement via school reform, prioritizing relationships among schools, families, agencies, and health organizations. As schools are being reinvented, educators are examining the impact on physical education, particularly the relationship between…

Uses data from China's market-oriented rural industrial sector to test education's effects on wage determination after 10 years of economic reform. Although education has influenced wage determination differently for various groups in diverse institutional and technological settings, this difference reflects a labor-productivity effect. This trend…

Education policy in sub-Saharan Africa is predicated on human capital assumptions and therefore promotes the expansion of formal education as a way to promote economic growth. As a result, formal education is valued primarily as a private consumer good, a form of cultural capital that allows some to get ahead and stay ahead, rather than as a…

English schools have always been involved with the economy of their time, but it was not until the mid-nineteenth century that schooling for the poor became primarily an adjunct of industry, rather than of the Church. This industrial style of education, preparation for the production line, still informs the school system, though Britain is no…

The labor quality index (LQI) not only serves as an important reference for monitoring the progress of the sustainable development of a country, but it can also serve as an important parameter for economic analysis. To compile such an index for Taiwan, we conducted two large-scale surveys of 1000 major enterprises and 844 union leaders,…

This paper examines the potential role of innovation policy in enhancing long-term productivity growth in Russia. It begins by exploring the role of framework conditions for business in encouraging innovative activities, particularly with respect to intellectual property rights and competition. Realising Russia's innovation potential will also…

One of the dominant contributory factors to a country's long-run productivity and economic growth is the education, training and skills possessed by its working-age population. Higher education qualifications are one of the key mechanisms in generating wealth for the students who attain them. The provision of education and skills also produces…

Designed for high school economics students as a public service project of the American Fletcher National Bank, the booklet examines the fundamentals of the profit system in attempts to dispel common misconceptions held by students. A comparison is made between newspaper carriers and big business entrepreneurs by considering the risks made in…