Protection of the textbook industry in developing countries: In the public interest?

Many developing countries protect their textbook industries to safeguard national image, local jobs, infant industries, and foreign exchange. Yet, as this article points out, protection itself has costs, and these costs have become excessive. Reducing protection for textbook production, the author argues, would benefit both education and economies in developing countries. Stephen P. Heyneman is chief of the Human Resources Division in the teaching arm of the World Bank, the Economic Development Institute. His division is responsiblefor conducting policy-level discussions in the fields of education, health economics, family planning, and nutrition. He has personally been working on problems having to do with the quality of education in developing countries since 1971.