The education shibboleth

ONE of the bravest, most interesting and most valuable books about economic policy to have appeared of late has just been published—and it was written by a non-economist. Alison Wolf is a professor of education at the University of London. Few academics with a position such as that would choose to write a book questioning what is today probably the most cherished myth of economic policymakers all over the world: the idea that more education is the key to economic success. Yet this is the daring mission which “Does Education Matter?” takes on*. The book is chiefly concerned with Britain, whose prime minister, Tony Blair, declared his three highest priorities in government to be “education, education, education”. The arguments and the findings are of much wider relevance, and of pressing importance too.