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Curated by Project Syndicate

Education: The Brain Gain

177 commentaries

Education does not benefit only its recipients; it has a profound impact on national economic outcomes. Poor educational performance may be a determining factor in the inability of Latin American countries to rise from middle- to high-income status over the last 50 years. Likewise, education could explain why Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan attained high-income status, while countries like Thailand, the Philippines, and Malaysia cannot complete the middle-income transition. Policymakers, economists, educators, and business leaders debate and advance innovative ideas about educational practice and policy.

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  1. Protecting Children from Anti-Social Media
    kirchschlager3_JC MILHETHans LucasAFP via Getty Images_teenagersocialmediaphones J.C. Milhet/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images

    Protecting Children from Anti-Social Media

    Dec 2, 2024 Peter G. Kirchschläger urges countries to emulate Australia and bar young people from addictive online platforms.

  2. Unlocking AI-Powered Learning
    nixonsaintil2_Philipp von Ditfurthpicture alliance via Getty Images_ai classrooms Philipp von Ditfurth/picture alliance via Getty Images

    Unlocking AI-Powered Learning

    Oct 14, 2024 Justina Nixon-Saintil foresees the technology enhancing student learning and creating new pathways to rewarding careers.

  3. The UN’s Summit of the Future Must Champion Universal Education
    brown110_Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy  UkrinformFuture Publishing via Getty Images_education Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy / Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images

    The UN’s Summit of the Future Must Champion Universal Education

    Sep 23, 2024 Gordon Brown urges global policymakers to ensure access for all schoolchildren in the world’s poorest regions.

  4. Giving Afghan Girls the Education They Demand
    sherif10_WAKIL KOHSARAFP via Getty Images_afghanistan girls WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP via Getty Images

    Giving Afghan Girls the Education They Demand

    Aug 16, 2024 Yasmine Sherif urges public- and private-sector donors to increase funding for non-formal schooling in the country.

  5. The Right Industrial Policy Is Knowledge Policy
    tsantos2_MANJUNATH KIRANAFP via Getty Images_indiasemiconductor Manjunath Kiran/AFP via Getty Images

    The Right Industrial Policy Is Knowledge Policy

    Jul 3, 2024 Tano Santos & Luigi Zingales outline a strategy for fostering the diffusion of innovation in a fragmented geopolitical environment.

  6. America’s Childcare Is Unfit for the Postmodern Age
    ackerman2_Brian van der Brug  Los Angeles Times via Getty Images_preschool Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

    America’s Childcare Is Unfit for the Postmodern Age

    Apr 23, 2024 Bruce Ackerman urges US President Joe Biden to put universal preschool at the center of his re-election campaign.

  1. buruma220_Chip SomodevillaGetty Images_trumpjournalists Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

    Truth or Trumpian Consequences

    Ian Buruma warns American liberals not to double down on ideological posturing in response to fear of authoritarianism.
  2. gambetta4_NurPhotoGettyImages_hezbollah_pager_attack NurPhoto/Getty Images

    Impostors at War

    Diego Gambetta & Thomas Hegghammer explain why impersonation can be as serious a threat as enemy weapons systems.
  3. strain34_Nic AntayaGetty Images_trumpsupporters Nic Antaya/Getty Images

    Populism Never Lasts

    Michael R. Strain draws on history to assess the durability of Donald Trump's brand of politics.
  4. zizek40_Aref TammawiGettyImages_aljolani_mosque Aref Tammawi/Getty Images

    What Did We Miss in Syria?

    Slavoj Žižek

    Recent developments that look like triumphs of religious fundamentalism represent not a return of religion in politics, but simply the return of the political as such. If they look foreign to Western eyes, that is because the West no longer stands for anything Westerners are willing to fight and die for.

    thinks the prosperous West no longer understands what genuine political struggle looks like.
  5. hafenbradl1_Ivan RomanoGetty Images_europewindfarm Ivan Romano/Getty Images

    Public Guarantees Would Boost European Green Industry

    Doris Hafenbradl explains how EU policymakers can use government funds to crowd in private capital for cleantech firms.
  6. op_anheier15_HANNIBAL HANSCHKEPOOLAFP via Getty Images_merkel Hannibal Hanschke/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

    Angela Merkel’s World of Yesterday

    Helmut K. Anheier

    Readers seeking a self-critical analysis of the former German chancellor’s 16-year tenure will be disappointed by her long-awaited memoir, as she offers neither a mea culpa nor even an acknowledgment of her missteps. Still, the book provides a rare glimpse into the mind of a remarkable politician.

    highlights how and why the former German chancellor’s legacy has soured in the three years since she left power.
  7. nixonsaintil4_Anya BerkutGettyImages_ai_learning Anya Berkut/Getty Images

    Closing the AI Skills Gap in 2025

    Justina Nixon-Saintil explains what can be done to equip the workforce for an era of rapid technological change.
  8. ochieng2_Li YahuiXinhua via Getty Images_chinaafricahealth Li Yahui/Xinhua via Getty Images

    Investing in Global Health Enhances US National Security

    Walter O. Ochieng & Tom Achoki urge the incoming Trump administration to build on the success of Operation Warp Speed.
  9. norrlof8_DELIL SOULEIMANAFP via Getty Images_USsyria Delil Souleiman/AFP via Getty Images

    The Scramble for Syria

    Carla Norrlöf explains how America and its allies should respond to the demise of the country's longstanding dictatorship.

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