The navigation bar for this website has buttons for both learning and economics. They are there because I think that both of them are important to our society and it just so happens that they are related in many ways. This section is for exploring the interplay and relationships between the two. I see several categories of interaction between learning and economics.

1) From the perspective of education and training institutions, what does it cost to teach students? How does technology impact teaching? What is the return on investment from the perspective of the individual and the institution? To what extent do degrees and certifications "lock up" knowledge in institutions, and what role will these institutions play as knowledge, information, and expertise becomes available through alternative means such as the Internet, Web, and other technologies?

2) A key component of economic theory is the that an efficient market depends on the free flow of information, so it follows that the ability of people to assimilate or learn that information is key to an efficient economy. It can be as simple as deciding which can of peaches to buy, as complex as how to invest your money, or as personal as whether to change jobs.

3) What are the economics of learning from the learners' perspective? Is an individual better off learning to do a new task or paying someone else to do it for them? What are the trade-offs when deciding whether to spend your time on more education or performing the tasks you already know how to do?

The following is the beginning of a collection of related information.

The Learning Economics Group: http://www.learningeconomics.org The Learning Economics Group is a non-profit professional and research association focused on the development of tools, research, forums and resources for professionals, researchers and policymakers about the strategic value of learning both informal and formal, and its economic impact on an organization or corporation.

DOES EDUCATION MATTER? myths about education and economic growth , by Alison Wolf. Penguin Books, 2002, 332 pages. A Book Review by Stephen Berry http://www.la-articles.org.uk/eoe.htm

The world bank's site on the economics of education: http://www.worldbank.org/education/economicsed/

Explore real world issues concerning the flow of information in commerce http://ingrimayne.saintjoe.edu/econ/RiskExclusion/Overview12mi.html

In the year 2000, the US spent $372,864,603,00 for public elementary and secondary schools. http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0112651.html

National Center for Education Statistics http://nces.ed.gov/ Expenditure of all schools in 2001, $745,000,000,000 - 2.9% of GDP http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d02/tables/dt029.asp MHT

NCES student teacher counts by state http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2003/snf_report03/index.asp

Article on school funding http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/1999/02.04/hoxby.html

Caroline Hoxby on vouchers http://www.technos.net/tq_10/2hoxby.htm