2.1. Theoretical framework and context The debate on the effectiveness and financial gains of education, expected from this process, can be carried forward on different levels of discussion, involving a range of policies. The benefits, so to speak, economic and social. It's one thing to know exactly how people will benefit privately from investing in education. Another important aspect is how education level, field of study and individual background affect returns. And, in addition, returns should be considered, as they change over time and as they vary from country to country. An additional year of education may have a significant effect, or it may not have any at all. An extra year of forcing potential dropouts to continue attending school may encourage returns, or it may cause more harm. Confusing as it may seem, there are those who worry about the “social benefits” of education, otherwise known as social fees or externalities (Brewer and McEwan, 2010). Thus, there is the ever-present dilemma of whether education helps a society more than ingrained time management skills, motivation, or self-taught ability. After all, there are many things that the average standard education does not teach, certain habits that people acquire only from their own decisions or lifestyles. Add to this factors such as credentialing effects, ability biases, and measurement errors, as well as financial constraints, and there are many ways in which research on this topic can go astray. There are lots of tangents and just as many opportunities to get something wrong. Several authors (Brewer and McEwan, 2010; Johnes and Johnes, 2007) have attempted to address some of these methodological and practical questions. Since the 1950s, returns have been estimated... middle of paper... Aspects of the educational process, both from an individualized and global point of view, have never really been studied adequately, nor as a unit. There is no comparison between the two. This is a fairly large blind spot, making it difficult to understand whether macroeconomic gains are as good as microeconomic gains on education (Psacharopoulos and Patrinos, 2004). The logical answer would be “yes” if the difference in investment capital and risk at the highest levels of the economy were not so different. Therefore, one direction of conclusion would be that further and deeper investigations into the social benefits of education emerge as a necessity, since mechanisms for financing investments and reforms will not invent themselves. And developing countries need clear evidence that schooling will help them earn a better life (Psacharopoulos and Patrinos, 2004).