Globalisation and the Political Economy of High Skills

Abstract This paper seeks to develop a methodology for the comparative study of the political economy of skill formation with a particular focus on policies designed to develop routes to a high skills economy. It is argued that the advanced economies face a series of ‘pressure points’ in common which can only be addressed by making a series of policy trade‐offs. But while the pressure points are common to these economies the trade‐offs will be determined by the politics, culture and history of a nation's economic and social development.