This work investigates the relationships between education and national development in an area of the world where both have acquired considerable importance. It questions assumptions which view education primarily as a direct investment in human capital and approaches which measure the efficiency of educational provision solely in terms of quantifiable differences between inputs and outputs. It does not set out either to confirm or to refute a particular theory. Instead, the main perspectives which have been adopted to explain the role of education in East Asia, including Japan, Hong Kong,...

The modernity and postmodernity debates of recent years have tended to direct attention towards frameworks of periodization, and away from the social and cultural processes currently at work in the world. This volume reverses the emphasis, to focus on modes of authority and identity, and to examine the roles which existing and new traditions may play in our epoch. It announces a new agenda for contemporary social theory, moving beyond current debates over (post)modernity.
The contributors include Mark Poster, Richard Sennett, Ulrich Beck, Margaret Archer, Mary Douglas and Thomas...