The Scandinavian development experience in general, and the Swedish model in particular, have attracted the attention of scholars and policy-makers in industrialized as well as developing countries. Sweden stands out as a country with an outstanding record in terms of gender equity. It also appears to provide a viable social-democratic alternative to neo-liberal hegemony in economic and social policy. Professor Naila Kabeer of the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, was invited by the Experts Group on Development Initiatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sweden, to examine the Scandinavian/Swedish experience of social development and gender equity from the perspective of developing countries. Researchers working on various developing countries were asked to reflect upon the Scandinavian and/or Swedish experience from the lens of their own work in their regions. Haris Gazdar of the Collective was asked to prepare a paper with a focus on educational policy.