Book excerpt: The Economics of Education: A Comprehensive Overview, Second Edition, offers a comprehensive and current overview of the field of that is broadly accessible economists, researchers and students. This new edition revises the original 50 authoritative articles and adds Developed (US and European) and Developing Country perspectives, reflecting the differences in institutional structures that help to shape teacher labor markets and the effect of competition on student outcomes. - Provides international perspectives that describe the origins of key subjects, their major issues and proponents, their landmark studies, and opportunities for future research - Increases developing county perspectives and comparisons of cross-country institutions - Requires no prior knowledge of the economics of education