Jong-Wha Lee

Education has significant and far-reaching effects not only on individuals, but also on the societies in which they live and to which they contribute. The education level of a population affects how a country supports itself and others and the degree to which it can participate in the global field. While everyone from politicians to policymakers to celebrities has stressed the importance of education, there has not been-until now-a vigorous yet comprehensible examination of data to support what has long been common knowledge: education matters. In Education Matters: Global Gains from the 19th to the 21st Century, renowned economists Robert Barro and Jong-Wha Lee present a revolutionary new data set on education in 146 countries since 1870 and projected through 2040. With case studies from the United States, China, and Korea, Barro and Lee evaluate schooling both quantitatively and qualitatively and assess the role of education in political development. The book also addresses sensitive and controversial topics, such as international disparities in education and the role of education in modernization and development. Both challenging and enlightening, Education Matters has exciting implications for the future of education and promises to be a ground-breaking work in the fields of economics and educational attainment. In this comprehensive study, Barro and Lee establish the critical role that education plays - particularly for women and girls - in economic growth, fertility, and democracy. Engaging and informative, Education Matters is a compelling read for students, scholars, and anyone with a passion for education.

Is This the Asian Century? comprises 25 articles which the author has published on the Project Syndicate website since 2012. These articles are grouped into four broad topics: (1) Growth and Structural Adjustment, (2) Economic Integration and Cooperation, (3) Business, Money, and Finance, and (4) Education and Society. Through these selected works, the author explores whether the Asian Century is coming to pass or not and how Asian economies prepare for such century. The author also presents his analyses of Asia's economic transformation as well as social and cultural changes, and suggests the ways that Asian economies can overcome major economic and social challenges to continue their path towards a more balanced and sustainable growth in the 21st century. This book serves as a useful reference text for those who seek to understand the Asian economies, and contributes to ongoing policy debate on Asia's economic future.

Crisis and Recovery: Learning from the Asian Experience is a collection of selected articles related to the Asian experience with two crises — the Asian financial crisis in 1997-98 and the global financial crisis of 2007-08 — written by Dr Jong-Wha Lee, former chief economist of the Asian Development Bank. These papers are grouped into three broad topics: Anatomy of Asian Growth and Crises, Asian Financial Crises: Responses and Lessons, and Global Financial Crisis and Challenges to Asia's Sustained Growth. The topics include the relation of the East Asia's development strategies with the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis, the causes of the Asian financial crisis, the desirability of IMF programs, the assessment of recovery and structural reforms, the process of spillovers of the global financial crisis to Asia, regional and global economic linkages, the role of China and the renminbi, and the long-term growth projections of Asian economies. The research collected in this book will be very useful for policymakers who want to learn from the Asian experience with the crises and it is a key contribution to ongoing research and policy debates on the future of Asian economies.