Book Details

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

• Author: Jandhyala B. G. Tilak

• Language: English

• Edition: 2023

• ISBN: 9789819901630

• Pages: 690

• Cover: Hardcover

About the Book

This comprehensive volume presents a critical and empirically grounded review of key educational development issues in India, as well as in other developing and advanced nations. Drawing from interdisciplinary research, the book explores a wide array of themes over the last two to three decades—ranging from growth, equity, and efficiency in education to foreign aid, privatization, financing, decentralization, and public-private partnerships. The author examines how education poverty intersects with economic poverty, the implications of inadequate elementary education outcomes, and the systemic impact of structural adjustment and neo-liberal policies.

Organized into six detailed parts, the book addresses:

• The politico-economy of education and human capital development

• Equity, inclusion, and diversity in Indian education

• Complex challenges surrounding the financing of both elementary and higher education

• The role of external aid and south-south cooperation in shaping educational policies

• Private sector participation and the effects of liberalization on public education

• A statistical overview offering valuable insights through educational data trends

Jandhyala B. G. Tilak offers a deeply analytical and policy-relevant narrative that also critiques the government's shifting responsibility to households and markets for funding education. He raises important questions about the dichotomy between policy promises and ground realities, often contrasting Indian developments with global trends in education financing and reform. The book is an invaluable resource for academics, researchers, policymakers, and anyone interested in the socio-economic dimensions of education.

About the Author

Prof. Jandhyala B. G. Tilak is a distinguished scholar in the field of Economics of Education. A former Vice-Chancellor of the National University of Educational Planning and Administration, he currently serves as a Distinguished Professor at the Council for Social Development. Holding a Ph.D. from the Delhi School of Economics, Prof. Tilak has held faculty positions at institutions such as the University of Delhi, University of Virginia, Hiroshima University, and the World Bank. With over 300 research publications and numerous prestigious awards—including the Swami Pranavananda Saraswati National Award and the Malcolm Adiseshiah Award—he is a globally recognized authority in educational planning and development.