This book arose out of the work of Theme 3 of the ESRC-sponsored Research Centre on Skills, Knowledge and Organisational Performance (SKOPE). This theme was concerned with analysing the demand for skills in the economy, and the role of the education and training system in meeting such demands in the changing policy environment. What struck those of us working on the various projects within the Research Centre was how, at the turn of the 21st century, education and training continued to be a major focus of public policy across all the countries we investigated.

Balancing the skills equation brings together international authors who are in one way or another connected to SKOPE. All of us were concerned to understand the ways in which, and the extent to which, the supply and demand sides of the skills equation were linked. In addition, we also sought to understand how policy affected this linkage. We explored and developed our ideas through a series of seminars and SKOPE Working Papers. The outcome is a book that examines a related set of issues by authors writing from their own national perspectives.