This authoritative two-volume collection brings together the most important published papers on the economics of schooling and school quality, issues which are at the heart of current intellectual and policy debates. Volume I presents articles on labour markets, distribution, including the structure of wages and wage inequality and the effects of schooling on economic growth. Volume II includes papers on efficiency, competition and finance and policy. The mixture of classic papers and cutting edge research provides a reference suitable for both students, researchers and professionals. CONTENTS   Acknowledgements - Understanding the Economics of Schools: An IntroductionEric A. Hanushek     PART I - LABOR MARKETS   1. Jacob Mincer (1970), 'The Distribution of Labor Incomes: A Survey. With Special Reference to the Human Capital Approach', Journal of Economic Literature, VIII (1), March, 1-26 [26] 2. F. Welch (1970), 'Education in Production', Journal of Political Economy, 78 (1), January/February, 35-59 [25] 3. George Psacharopoulos (1994), 'Returns to Investment in Education: A Global Update', World Development, 22 (9), September, 1325-43 [19] 4. Robert J. Willis and Sherwin Rosen (1979), 'Education and Self-Selection', Journal of Political Economy, 87 (5, Part 2), S7-S36 [30] 5. John H. Bishop (1989), 'Is the Test Score Decline Responsible for the Productivity Growth Decline?', American Economic Review, 79 (1), March, 178-97 [20] 6. Richard J. Murnane, John B. Willett and Frank Levy (1995), 'The Growing Importance of Cognitive Skills in Wage Determination', Review of Economics and Statistics, LXXVII, 251-66 [16]   PART II - DISTRIBUTION   7. Kevin M. Murphy and Finis Welch (1992), 'The Structure of Wages', Quarterly Journal of Economics, CVII, 285-326 [42] 8. James P. Smith and Finis R. Welch (1989), 'Black Economic Progress After Myrdal', Journal of Economic Literature, XXVII, June, 519-64 [46] 9. Chinhui Juhn, Kevin M. Murphy and Brooks Pierce (1993), 'Wage Inequality and the Rise in Returns to Skill', Journal of Political Economy, 101 (3), June, 410-42 [33] 10 Stephen V. Cameron and James J. Heckman (2001), 'The Dynamics of Educational Attainment for Black, Hispanic, and White Males', Journal of Political Economy, 109 (3), June, 455-99 [45] 11 Thomas J. Kane (1994), 'College Entry by Blacks since 1970: The Role of College Costs, Family Background, and the Returns to Education', Journal of Political Economy, 102 (5), 878-911 [34]   PART III GROWTH   12 Richard R. Nelson and Edmund S. Phelps (1966), 'Investment in Humans, Technological Diffusion, and Economic Growth', American Economic Review Papers and Proceedings, LVI (2), May, 69-75 [7] 13 Robert J. Barro (1991), 'Economic Growth in a Cross Section of Countries', Quarterly Journal of Economics, CVI, May, 407-43 [37] 14 Mark Bils and Peter J. Klenow (2000), 'Does Schooling Cause Growth?', American Economic Review, 90 (5), December, 1160-83 [24] 15 Eric A. Hanushek and Dennis D. Kimko (2000), 'Schooling, Labor-Force Quality, and the Growth of Nations', American Economic Review, 90 (5), December, 1184-1208 [25]   Name Index