Drawing on empirical, interdisciplinary research, this book presents a critical review of some of the major issues that are of interest to researchers, policymakers and planners in developing as well as advanced countries, including specifically in India. It provides an in-depth review of some of the major development policy issues in education in general, and in India in particular, over the past 2-3 decades. Besides presenting an overview of the educational developments in India that reflects issues such as growth, equity, efficiency, foreign aid, decentralization, center-state relations, financing, and cost recovery, the book puts forward in-depth analyses of education poverty, interrelations between education and poverty, low level of outcomes in elementary education, effects of structural adjustment policies and approaches on education, south-south cooperation, etc. It also critically discusses changes in policies relating to financing higher education, external assistance for education, and how the growth of private higher education is affecting society at large. The dichotomy between public policy and action is also highlighted in many chapters. On the whole, while the importance of education is being increasingly recognized, the state does not seem to be as willing to foot the bill for education as the households and even the private sector. Occasionally contrasting with international evidence on, for example, financing higher education, private higher education, or the effects of neo-liberal policies, the book offers an interesting read for a wider audience.

Jandhyala B. G. Tilak is a former Vice-Chancellor and Professor at the National University of Educational Planning and Administration, and currently a Distinguished Professor at the Council for Social Development. Holding a Ph.D. in Economics of Education from the Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi, Prof Tilak is an eminent economist of education. He has served on the research and teaching faculty of the University of Delhi, Indian Institute of Education, University of Virginia and Hiroshima University (Japan), and as a Visiting Professor in Economics at Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning. He was also on the research staff of the World Bank. Prof Tilak has authored/edited a dozen books and over 300 research papers in the areas of economics of education and development studies. He received the UGC's Swami Pranavananda Saraswati National Award for his outstanding scholarly research in education (1999), Dr. Malcolm Adiseshiah Award for distinguished research contributions to development studies (2003), Inspirational Teacher of the Year Global Education Award 2012, and the Devang Mehta National Education Award for outstanding contribution to education (2015). Prof Tilak had the privilege of delivering a keynote address to a meeting of the Noble laureates in Barcelona in 2005. He is the Editor of Journal of Educational Planning and Administration and is on the editorial board of several professional journals. Lastly, he served as Vice-President and as President of the Comparative Education Society of India (2010-12), and is currently on the Board of Directors of the Comparative Education Society of Asia.