"The Consequences of Global Educational Expansion: Social Science Perspectives"

This report summarizes the information from economics, sociology and other social sciences about the consequences of education in developing nations. It is structured to examine the evidence supporting or challenging the following common assumptions: "• Human capital stock is central to national economic development, as better-educated citizens are more productive. • Within societies, the expansion of educational opportunities enables individuals to improve their economic circumstances. • Educational expansion narrows social inequalities within nations by promoting a meritocratic basis for status attainment. • Countries with better-educated citizens have healthier populations, as educated individuals make more informed health choices, live longer, and have healthier children. • The populations of countries with more educated people grow more slowly, as educated citizens are able to implement a virtuous cycle of having fewer children. • Countries with more educated populations are more democratic, as their citizens are able to make more informed political decisions. Emily Hannum and Claudia Buchmann, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2003. (PDF, 44 pages.)