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Education : past, present and future global challenges

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  • Patrinos, Harry Anthony
  • Psacharopoulos, George

Abstract

Progress in educational development in the world since 1900 has been slow and uneven between countries. Providing basic education for all children in developing countries has been and remains an unmet challenge of governments and international organizations alike. This is in sharp contrast to recent findings in the economics literature on the catalytic role of human capital for economic growth and social development in general. Using a newly constructed matched data set on education and national accounts in the 1950 to 2010 period, this paper estimates the loss of income and equity associated with not having a faster rate of human capital accumulation, using alternative methodologies and specific country examples. Such loss is projected backward (1900-1950) and forward (2010-2050) using plausible assumptions regarding what countries could have done in the past or may do in the future to accelerate human capital formation. The findings suggest that the welfare loss in terms of per capita income conservatively ranges from about 7 to 10 percent. Improved educational attainment is also shown to have an effect in reducing income inequality.

Suggested Citation

  • Patrinos, Harry Anthony & Psacharopoulos, George, 2011. "Education : past, present and future global challenges," Policy Research Working Paper Series 5616, The World Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:5616
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    Cited by:

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    2. Bogdan Oancea & Richard Pospíšil & Raluca Mariana Drăgoescu, . "Higher Education and Economic Growth. A Comparison between Czech Republic and Romania," Prague Economic Papers, University of Economics, Prague, vol. 0, pages 1-21.
    3. David E. Bloom & Alex Khoury & Vadim Kufenko & Klaus Prettner, 2021. "Spurring Economic Growth through Human Development: Research Results and Guidance for Policymakers," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 47(2), pages 377-409, June.
    4. Luis Rene Caceres, 2019. "Determinants of trust in government in Latin America," Remef - Revista Mexicana de Economía y Finanzas Nueva Época REMEF (The Mexican Journal of Economics and Finance), Instituto Mexicano de Ejecutivos de Finanzas, IMEF, vol. 14(3), pages 329-351, Julio - S.
    5. Rasmus Thönnessen & Erich Gundlach, 2013. "The size of human capital externalities: cross-country evidence," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 157(3), pages 671-689, December.
    6. John Richards, 2012. "What CIDA Should do: The Case for Focusing Aid on Better Schools," C.D. Howe Institute Commentary, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 349, April.
    7. Servaas van der Berg & Marizanne Knoesen, 2018. "Demand for education in the five countries of the South African Customs Union – Projections and implications," Working Papers 20/2018, Stellenbosch University, Department of Economics.

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    Keywords

    Education For All; Economic Theory&Research; Primary Education; Access&Equity in Basic Education; Achieving Shared Growth;
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