Education for a better citizen: an assessment

Typically, the benefits of education to society have been estimated by relating a measure of educational attainment, such as years of schooling, to market earnings. 

Recent research, however, has shown that education’s effect extends well beyond what can be readily observed in the labour market, such as forming a better citizen, to a host of non-market or external benefits that in turn can enhance a series of socioeconomic outcomes.

Since ancient times, the role of education has also been to create a better citizen. In practically all countries, some form of a civics subject has been introduced to the school curriculum. Civics contributes to making a society more homogenous.

Civics cultivates interpersonal skills and tolerance of others that, among other things, promote social and economic stability, conflict resolution, voting participation, democracy and better governance. A higher level of trust in a society facilitates investment and lowers the cost of market transactions. Lack of trust in society imposes a type of tax on all forms of economic activity.

Author

George Psacharopoulos

Cite as

European Commission: Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, European Expert Network on Economics of Education (EENEE) and Psacharopoulos, G., Education for a better citizen: An assessment, Publications Office, 2018, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2766/18048