Crises of Elite Competition in the East and West
Hmm.  So both western and eastern education systems are turning away from their cultural roots, trying to find some magic in the other&#x27;s approach.<p>&gt; The situations of Asian countries and the United States differ sub­stantially in the details, but both face the same core problem: how to offer as many people as possible a decent job with a family wage.<p>This is the heart of the (rather length) article.  Elite competition is so intense because the consequences of not making it into the elite are so stark.  (Related:  Even getting the elite degree doesn&#x27;t mean that you get a decent job.  The elite competition doesn&#x27;t end when you get into college, or even when you get out.)