Markets, Minds, and Money

“Charmingly written, instructive, and stimulating, Markets, Minds, and Money is a persuasive read about how the US higher education system evolved to become uniquely situated to lead the world in research. Economists will read it for the analytical core of the argument; others for the history of higher education.”—Michael McPherson, President Emeritus, The Spencer Foundation

“Miguel Urquiola is one of the most versatile minds in economics and a scholar who makes complicated concepts comprehensible thanks to his extraordinary clarity of thought and expression. In this volume, he deftly combines economic theory with historical analysis to compellingly argue how US universities came to rank so disproportionately at the top of the world, and where the future might take us. Like everything else Urquiola writes, this book is absolutely worth reading.”—David Figlio, Dean, School of Education and Social Policy, Northwestern University

“American research universities dominate the world’s most preeminent institutions of higher learning. This is a result of their remarkable contributions to advances in knowledge and discoveries that have changed our lives and those of people around the world. In an important and engaging book, which is very accessible to a large audience, Miguel Urquiola shows how market forces examined over the past century have influenced the growth of excellence. The argument is lucid, provocative, well-documented, and a must-read for those interested in why American universities remain the envy of the world—and why their position of preeminence may be in danger.”—Jonathan R. Cole, John Mitchell Mason Professor of the University and Provost and Dean of Faculties, Emeritus, Columbia University