Human Capital
Advances in Theory and Evidence

This book analyses human capital theory and its potential applications in government, education and business.

Joop Hartog (Edited by), Henriëtte Maassen van den Brink (Edited by)

9780521117562, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 30 July 2009

260 pages, 5 b/w illus. 9 tables
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.5 cm, 0.39 kg

Review of the hardback: 'The book covers an impressively broad spectrum of topics in the economics of education. Learning in schools and at the workplace is covered as well as learning's impact on a wide variety of outcomes including individual earnings, firm productivity, economic growth, health and the next generation. The authors report their own research findings and put them into the perspective of the international research frontier, yet in a way that makes the book accessible for policy makers and journalists.' Anders Björklund, Stockholm University

At a time when governments and policy-makers put so much emphasis on 'the knowledge economy' and the economic value of education, human capital theory has never been more important. However, research in this area is often very technical and therefore not easily accessible to those who wish to use it as a guide to policy formation. This book provides an interface between such research and its potential applications in government, education and business. Reporting on a major research initiative, new findings are presented in a non-technical way on three major themes: measuring the benefits from human capital, applications of the human capital model, and policy interventions. Aimed at academic researchers and professionals concerned with the problems and techniques of human capital theory, it will also be useful for graduate courses on the economics of education to complement standard textbooks.

Prologue Joop Hartog and Henriëtte Maassen van den Brink
Part I. Measuring the Benefits from Human Capital: 1. What should you know about the private returns to education? Joop Hartog and Henriëtte Maassen van den Brink
2. The social returns to education Mikael Lindahl and Erik Canton
3. Returns to training Edwin Leuven
4. Human capital and entrepreneurs Justin van der Sluis and Mirjam van Praag
5. The effects of education on health Wim Groot and Henriëtte Maassen van den Brink
6. Are successful parents the secret to success? Erik Plug
Part II. Applying and Extending the Human Capital Model: 7. Overeducation in the labour market Wim Groot and Henriëtte Maassen van den Brink
8. Underinvestment in training Randolph Sloof, Joep Sonnemans and Hessel Oosterbeek
9. Human capital and risk Joop Hartog and Simona Maria Bajdechi
Part III. Policy Interventions: 10. Using (quasi-) experiments to evaluate education interventions Hessel Oosterbeek
11. Unemployment duration: policies to prevent human capital depreciation Bas van der Klaauw
12. Can we stimulate teachers to enhance quality? Ib Waterreus
13. Optimal tax and education policies and investments in human capital Bas Jacobs
Epilogue: some reflections on educational policies
A note on econometrics
Index.

Subject Areas: Business & management [KJ], Microeconomics [KCC], Political science & theory [JPA], Social issues & processes [JFF]