As we move into the twenty-first century, the commodities we want to produce are becoming less “Smithian”. More education–and I do not think anyone in the U.S. is happy with the decisions twenty-year olds are currently making about how much education they should get and how to finance the debt incurred. Deciding to fund education via long-term loan-finance and to leave societal cost-benefit investment calculations in the hands of adolescents: not a good idea.
