Followers of the “learning” aspect of our little blog will have spotted us trying to suggest a link between education and economic growth. Sometimes we point to the importance of technology as a multiplier of national wealth. Sometimes we’ve tried to say that money is the result of economic success rather than its cause. On the whole we’ve been a bit tentative, grasping at truths that might have been better expressed. Sorry.
Which is why it’s nice to come across a careful, well, studied report which lays out our preoccupations far better than we could. It’s called The Contribution of Education to Economic Growth by Catherine Grant[1], and its published by the Institute of Development Studies. So if you ever get into an argument with someone who wants to reduce the education budget to fund tax cuts, it,s all here for you. Blow by blow, across the whole gamut of primary to tertiary levels, and the whole range of countries from low to middle to high income. But what really stuck out for us here was this simple exposition of the value of education from page one:
First, it increases the collective ability of the workforce to carry out existing
tasks more quickly. Second, secondary and tertiary education especially facilitate the transfer of
knowledge about new information, products, and technologies created by others ………..Finally, by increasing creativity it boosts a country’s own capacity to create new
knowledge, products, and technologies.
It’s that last part which we think justifies our efforts on this blog for the last three years.
There’s some real hostility to education growing again these days. Not just from old style religious fundamentalists but from right wing rationalists who ought to know better. Some of their websites bemoan the existence of Universities as breeding grounds for progressive voters. We have been personally told of Conservative candidates not to waste time on households where they see the presence of books. But, as this report shows, their hostility affords a long term disservice to their societies. But don’t take our word for it: have a look at the Bible, Proverbs 2 13,
13 Happy is the Man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding
14 For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver and the gain thereof than fine gold
If that really is the word of God, then we agree with Him. Or Her.
#gdp #economics #growth #education #training
Learning, Science and Society 