The tuition fees debate: a debt-for-equity suggestion

The tuition fees debate in England and Wales shows no signs of cooling down. Opponents of the new scheme ignore the unfairness of the current system, while proponents ignore debt aversion on the part of students. Drawing on an innovative Colombian social enterprise that offers human capital contracts, this post makes the case for a type of “debt-for-equity” swap, where instead of debt, the UK government should take an equity stake in its graduates.

Building a better picture of education’s role in economic development

A newly available dataset on education levels around the world from 1870 to 2010 has allowed economists to test fundamental hypotheses about economic development. This has led to fascinating insights about what causes inequality, population growth and democracy: in each case, education has played a key role. This is an optimistic message as education – unlike for example geography – can be influenced by policy choices.

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