The global education race

There has never been a time in the history of the world when education has mattered to more people than it does today. If you were an advertising agency, you’d really want the account for education.

Education makes a difference to individuals. At Stanford University, Hanushek and Woessman reviewed the evidence in 2010: the economic and non-economic returns to education are substantial. 

Across international datasets, the returns to individuals include a 13 per cent improvement in salary to those who hold a degree and improved health – half the number of disabled years for those who hold a degree, longer life, and an additional 1.7 years for every additional year of schooling. Higher levels of education are associated with lower offending and with higher levels of physical activity. And what’s true for individuals is true for economies and societies: education seems to be the economic and social investment par excellence.