Symposium on the economic returns to education

Abstract

In my contribution to this Symposium I wish to explore two main themes. The first deals with the contribution of education to economic growth at the macro level. In this part I shall discuss the evidence of the importance of education – or human capital formation – as a determinant of the cross-country differences in living standards and rates of economic growth. The second topic I wish to develop is the measurement of the return to education at the level of the individual. In my review of both themes I shall refer to the policy implications and show how Ireland relates to the international experience.