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Monique Jérôme-Forget, "Investing in Human Capital" Sorry, the summary of this article is not available. T.J. Alexander, "Human Capital Investment: Building the ‘Knowledge Economy'" Across OECD countries and across many shades of opinion, there has been a striking convergence of support for human capital investment (HCI) as lying at the heart of diverse policy strategies promoting economic prosperity, fuller employment and social cohesion. This article outlines the different reasons for this convergence, and the problems as well as insights such consensus brings. It emphasizes the importance of advancing the analysis if the political expectations of HCI are to be capitalized upon, and proposes a broad, inter-disciplinary conceptualization of human capital" that includes an important social element. David Livingstone, "The Limits of Human Capital: Expanding Knowledge, Informal Learning and Underemployment" The conventional conception of learning capacity in human capital theory is criticised for its fixation on formal education and credentialled knowledge. An expanded conception of learning achievements and capacities that incorporates informal learning is proposed. The extent of actual informal learning related to work is documented on the bases of recent Canadian surveys and case studies. The current linkages between informal learning and formal and adult education programs are also scrutinized. The prospects for improved linkages between informal learning and various types of education and training programs under government, trade union and private corporate initiatives in Canada are assessed. David Ashton and Francis Green, "Human Capital and Economic Growth" There is a widespread assumption in policy circles and among policy commentators that better education and training inevitably bring economic success, but the link has to be seen in its social context. There are different ways in which a country can shape the relationship between skill formation and performance. One way we refer to as the high skill route to accumulation, a period of relatively successful economic growth lasting at least a decade based on the use of high level skills and using high value-added production techniques. The most obvious examples here are Japan and Germany, but in the Asia Pacific region, some of the Tiger economies such as Singapore have pioneered new high skill routes. The other way is the low skill route, using low skilled labour to produce low value-added products. The UK is an example of a country moving in this direction. Both routes can lead to economic growth. This article identifies the conditions which lead countries to follow one route rather than another. Harvey Krahn, "On the Permanence of Human Capital: Use it or Lose it" Human capital has traditionally been viewed as an asset that, once acquired, cannot be lost. This perspective may make sense if human capital is defined in terms of acquired educational credentials. But if it is taken to mean acquired skills, a variety of evidence suggests that human capital may have a shelf life," that individuals, work organizations and societies that do not exercise their human capital are at risk of losing some of it. The author considers some of the public policy implications of this perspective on human capital. J. Douglas Willms, "Literacy Skills and Social Class" Cross country variations in literacy suggest there are considerable differences in the ability of the education system in different regions of the country to overcome socio-economic handicaps. These regional patterns are scrutinized to pull out some of the factors that seem to make a difference in terms literacy. Clément Lemelin, "Éducation et justice sociale" There is a tendency to exaggerate the extent to which investment in education reduces inequality. Invest-ments in education can just as easily worsen inequality, given the complex interrelationships that exist between social class, years of education and educational performance. This does not mean we should end all public support for education, but that assistance should be carefully targetted, if one of the objectives is to reduce inequality. Lisa M. Lynch, "Do Investments in Education and Training Make a Difference?" Although the US has an exceptionally low unemployment rate, all is not well with US labour markets. There is widening wage and income inequality, increased long-term unemployment and persistent and costly permanent job loss for adult workers. Why has spending on education and training have not risen in response to these labour market problems. The author suggests the answer lies in four myths surrounding investments in education and training. Julian R. Betts and Christopher Ferrall, "Policies for Improving Public Schools" The authors review the evidence on the link between spending in public schools and adult outcomes of students, including earnings and educational attainment. The evidence of a statistically significant link is quite mixed. Given that money alone is unlikely to improve the quality of public education materially, it becomes important to consider the role of various non-financial inputs into public schools. Chief among these is the system of incentives and standards in public education. Henry M. Levin, "Increasing Human Capital in At-Risk Populations" The problem of low human capital among at-risk populations can be addressed at relatively low cost by creating greater efficiency in schooling investments for these students by altering school organization and objectives. The author provides concrete evidence from the Accelerated Schools Project in the US, a project designed to bring all students into the educational mainstream with relatively small increments in investment beyond what is presently being spent. Cecilia Elena Rouse, "Lessons From the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program" In 1990, Wisconsin became the first state in the country to provide vouchers to low income students to attend non-sectarian private schools. The author uses a variety of estimation strategies and samples to estimate the effect of the program on math and reading scores. She finds that the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program appears to have had a postive effect on the math achievement of those who attended a private school; but had no benefits for reading scores. I have found the results to be fairly robust to data imputations and sample attrition, however these limitations should be kept in mind when interpreting the results. Janet Currie and Duncan Thomas, "Do the Benefits of Early Childhood Education Last?" Using a national sample of children from the National Longtitudinal Surveys, Currie looks at the benefits derived by kids who participated in Head Start or other preschool programs compared with siblings who did not participate in these programs. Contrary to most studies, she found a sustained gain for some groups -- whites and, more interestingly, latinos. She reports on further study to determine to what extent the fading away of benefits for certain groups, particularly blacks, is a result of poorer school quality. Dale Ballou, "Teacher Pay and Teacher Quality" US teaching salaries rose substantially during the 1980s, ostensibly in order to recruit more capable individuals into the teaching profession. However, there was little if any relationship between changes in the ability of new recruits and salary growth. Rigidities and imperfections in the teacher labour market explain why. Philip Trostel, "The Incentive Effects of Tax and Education Policies" This article argues that, despite the inherent inefficiencies involved with public provision, public provision of education may be the most efficient policy choice. Taxes create inefficient incentives for the overall amount of investment in human capital as well as the composition of investments in human capital. A subsidy to human capital in the form of public provision of education at a substantially reduced private cost counteracts both of these tax distortions. Jerry Paquette, "Scolarité et revenu" Several major trends evident in an analysis of recent Canadian census data on level and type of education and on employment income lead toward reflection on the relevance of human capital theory to the lived reality of young Canadians, at least when that theory is associated with assumptions that underlay most of the research it has spawned. Data from the last three Canadian censuses offer evidence that, despite a considerable increase in the advantage in employment income associated with a secondary diploma for the very young, young adults have, in general, experienced a loss in employment income much greater than what they have gained in income "premium" associated with a secondary diploma. The young, moreover, have seen a marked increase in the probability of having an employment income below the poverty level. Considering these trends, the young seem justified in doubting the relevance to their situation of human capital theory, or at least of much of the research and of the political rhetoric flowing from it. The time has arrived for policy-makers also to show a bit more circumspection in this regard and to take seriously critiques who insist that the "third sector" must be an integral part of any solution to the growing problems in the labour market. Louis Levy-Garboua, "Le financement public des investissements éducatifs Education remains overwhelmingly publicly financed even though most of the returns to education accrue to individuals being taught. The externalities or social benefits that result from education is not the best explanation for this phenomena, according to this author. He thinks the better rationale for public funding of education is to be found in an implicit contract between generations. David Pecaut, "A New Employment Contract for Canadian Youth" There has been a serious deterioration in the school-to-work transition for young adults in Canada, with potentially serious long-term consequences for the individuals affected and for society as a whole. Canada urgently needs a new model for human capital formation, with particular emphasis on giving more young Canadians that crucial first job experience. The author calls for a coordination of efforts between government, the private sector, academia and communities. He reports on an exciting new internship program that does just that. François Grin and François Vaillancourt, "La langue comme capital humain" Language skills are a form of human capital, and studies show that bilingual individuals tend to earn more than their unilingual counter-parts. The authors draw out some of the implications for language policy. |
