Karl Ulrich Mayer

The East German transition from a Communist state to part of the Federal Republic of Germany created a new social order. This book draws a comprehensive picture of life course transformation, demonstrating how the combination of life course dynamics coupled with an extraordinary pace of system change affect individual lives.

Comprehensive schooling and associated policies striving for a greater equality of educational opportunity have been at the centre of debate in many Western countries, since the 1950s. In this volume, the educational and social outcomes of several decades of comprehensive school reform in Sweden, Great Britain, France and the Federal Republic of Germany are examined by recognized social scientists from each of the countries concerned. Particular attention is given to the issue of social selectivity. The contributions, originally prepared for an international symposium organized by the Max Planck Institute for Human Development and Education in Berlin, are all based on original research. They have been thoroughly revised and updated, and, in some cases, even completely rewritten. This new edition represents the most recent state of research on the topic.--

There are marked changes in skill requirements in today's modern societies, and major questions about the processes of skill formation remain unresolved. What do we mean when we talk about skills, qualifications and competencies? Are market economies and firms systematically under-investing in skills? This book addresses these questions by first looking at what we mean when we talk about 'skills'. Secondly, it looks at the institutions where skills are acquired, before finally considering the provision of and access to training. It provides an up-to-date review of theories and research on skill formation in psychology, economics, political science and sociology, and addresses issues of skill learning and measurement, institutional and policy differences between countries, the issue of skill formation across a lifetime and disparities between socio-economic groups.