Book excerpt: A crucial issue in the era of globalisation and internationalization, is whether the relationship between investment and finance is beneficial to growth and development. Received wisdom is that Research and Development is essential not only for maintaining productivity, but also for competing in the marketplace. Similar questions have been raised about education and its rate of 'social return; is education necessary for improving the skill of the workforce, or does it serve primarily to facilitate the adoption of these new technologies? This book brings together a case of leading international scholars to analyze the importance of education, research and human capital and the impact of financial systems on growth and development.