On human capital formation with exit options: comment and new results

Katz and Rapoport (2005) conclude that with linear production technology and the possibility of unilateral migration, region-specific shocks may increase the average level of education. Previously, Poutvaara (2000) derived a corresponding result with Cobb–Douglas technology and migration which may go in both directions. This paper extends the analysis to all strictly concave production functions, and shows how the effect of the region-specific shocks depends on the shape of the production function. Also, the paper establishes when the presence of exit option increases and when it reduces investment in education. The results are robust to allowing for migration costs.     

The uncertain lifetime and the timing of human capital investment

I examine the effects of mortality decline on fertility and human capital investment decision of parents taking into account the uncertainty about child survival. I propose a model, where parents decide on their fertility before the uncertainty is realized, but they choose to invest only in human capital of their surviving children. The model implies a positive relationship between mortality and fertility and a negative one between mortality and educational investment. It has been argued elsewhere that as, in reality, most of the mortality decline occurred in infancy, it should not affect the human capital investment decision, which comes later in life. Thus, increased survival chances should not promote growth by raising the human capital investment. This paper argues the contrary and proposes a mechanism where mortality decline at any age before the teen years can promote growth by raising human capital investment regardless of the timing of the educational investment.      

Child mortality, fertility, and human capital accumulation

This article analyzes the impact of decline in child mortality on fertility and economic growth. The study shows that the timing of mortality relative to education is crucial to implications of mortality decline. If child mortality is realized before education starts, an exogenous decline in child mortality leads to a decline in education—a finding that is opposite to those of studies that considered a decline in mortality after the cost of education has been incurred. The work also demonstrates the role of parental human capital in reducing child mortality and the causal link between rising education and declining child mortality.

人力资本理论的演进及对人力资源开发的作用

人力资本的内涵和特征是随着历史的发展而确立和延伸的。本文梳理了中外学者对“人力资本”的不同定义,分析了人力资本理论的发展及其概念的扩展,以及人力资本理论对人力资源开发理论和实践的指导作用。指出人力资源开发研究者应进一步在个人、组织、社区和国际水平上探索人力资本理论和人力资源开发的关系。     

论山东人力资源开发与人力资本形成

人力资本是经济增长的源泉和动力。本文通过历史资料对山东省人力资源现状进行考察,指出山东省人力资源总体素质水平与其经济发展水平不相适应。针对人力资源现状结合山东新时期经济发展目标,提出应大胆进行人力资本投资制度创新,提高人力资本投资强度,改善人力资本投资结构,尤其是要使人力资源开发与经济比较优势相结合等重要解决措施。     

Family and school capital explaining regional variation in math and reading achievement

We know that inequality varies by region and also begins early in life. Bivariate data suggest that 5–14-year-old children in the 1994 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) score differently in reading and mathematics achievement depending on their region, with children in the South and West scoring lower. We combine literatures on regional bases of inequality and family and school capital to generate hypotheses explaining these differences. Analyses of covariance provide supportive evidence. For both outcomes among boys, the variation is explained by additive models including family and child social and human capital, although selected aspects of school capital are also influential; these models also explain math achievement among girls. A model including both additive and interactive effects explains regional differences in reading achievement for girls. We interpret these findings in terms of their implications for studying inequality in child achievement as well as for emphasizing the importance of regional inequality, particularly beyond the South versus non-South distinction.     

A Discrepancy Index for the Study of Participation with an Application to the Case of Higher Education in Italy

This article proposes and applies a simple method to measure the distance from a situation of uniform participation. First, a discrepancy index based on the use of generalized Lorenz curves is presented. This index can be expressed in terms of means and Gini indices of relevant characteristics in the populations of participants and that of a control group. A multivariate extension is also illustrated. The discrepancy index is then used to analyse access into higher education in Italy during the nineties. Discrepancy between participants and non-participants is especially high in terms of parents’ wealth and education, less in terms of income. Also, discrepancy is higher during recessions. Multivariate analysis reveals that “cultural constrains” are more important than financial constraints. Hence, efforts to equalize opportunity for access into higher education should be as much focussed on motivation and social background as they are on financial constraints.

Differences between Hispanic and non-Hispanic families in social capital and child development: First-year findings from an experimental study

Disadvantages faced by Hispanic children in the U.S., compared to non-Hispanic Whites, have been widely reported. Economic differences account for some of the gaps, but the social isolation of Hispanic families also serves as a barrier to children's success. Whereas Hispanic families tend to have strong kinship networks, their social ties often do not encompass the school and other authority systems. As a result, Hispanic families may have less access to social capital, that is, relations of trust and shared expectations that foster the flow of relevant information and support social norms that contribute to children's academic and social development. To study the role of social capital in child development, we embarked on a school-randomized trial in two cities with large Hispanic populations: San Antonio, Texas, and Phoenix, Arizona. In this paper, we report on first-year data from what will be a three-year longitudinal study, including 24 of an eventual 52 schools and about 1300 of what will be a sample of over 3000 children. We aimed to manipulate social capital through an intervention called Families and Schools Together (FAST), a multi-family after-school program that enhances relations among families, between parents and schools, and between parents and children through a sequence of structured activities over 8 weekly sessions. In the first year, 12 schools were randomly assigned to participate in FAST, and 12 served as controls. Data come from district administrative records, surveys of parents prior to FAST, and surveys of parents and teachers immediately after FAST. Surveys prior to FAST confirm that Hispanic parents have less extensive parent–school networks compared to non-Hispanic Whites. Comparisons of school means on post-FAST surveys indicate that parents in FAST schools experience more extensive social networks than those in control schools, but the differences are much more apparent in Phoenix than in San Antonio. Similarly, a pattern of better behavioral outcomes for children in FAST schools is evident in Phoenix but not San Antonio. Individual-level comparisons suggest that for some outcomes, effects may be larger for non-Hispanic Whites than for Hispanics, which would undermine potential contributions to reducing inequality.     

The effect of emigration on human capital formation

This paper focuses on a possible effect of emigration on human capital formation. Emigration to a higher returns to skill country provides an incentive to invest in human capital. The level of human capital formation in the source country can therefore be positively correlated with the probability of emigration. Incidentally a surge in emigration can lead the source country out of an under-development trap. The implications of the model for the convergence controversy are also discussed. Received: 16 July 1997/Accepted: 28 July 1998     

人力资本对我国区域经济发展影响之实证研究

本文分析了我国的人口素质存量现状、各省时人力资源的利用效率以及净迁移率、人口年龄结构和人力资本等与人均GDP的关系。使用了横截面回归和1990年、2000年两次人口普查面板数据分析相结合的方法．研究发现：其一,人力资本教育投资发挥着重要效应,平均受教育年限对提高人均GDP有明显的促进作用。同时8年平均受教育年限是个基本分界点：其二,区域间存在较大的人力资本利用效率的差异,有10个省市人力资本利用效率较高．其中90％集中在东部地带。其三。人口迁移对人均GDP即经济效率的提高有显著性影响。文章呼吁重视9年义务教育、鼓励人口自由迁移和充分把握我国的人口机会窗口期。     

英语教育——全球化时代的人力资本投资

教育是最主要的人力资本投资,全球化、信息化、国际一流人才的需求共同引致英语教育的专业化、国际化、产业化走势英语教育的产业化走势强化了投资主体的人力资本投资偏好。     

Educational credentials and external effects: A test for the Netherlands

This paper proposes and uses a new test to discriminate between on the one hand the human capital model and on the other hand the credentialists and signalling models. Previous tests used only one source of variation between years spend in education and obtained degrees. Most use the variation among degree holders in the number of years they spend at school and some use the variation in the degrees obtained given the years spend in school. This paper uses both sources of variation in a combined method. It further tests the Stiglitz model of signalling, which hypothesizes that signalling will have positive external effects against other signalling and credentialist model, which hypothesize that signalling, will have negative external effects. Dutch data from the Amenities and services utilisation surveys of 1999 and 2003 (AVO’99, AVO’03) conducted by the ‘Sociaal en Cultureel Planbureau’ of the Netherlands is used to test the hypotheses.The main findings of the analysis is that on the one hand degrees are seen as a credential, i.e. the effects of educational degrees outweigh the effect of years of education, but that on the other hand investments in education lead to positive external effects. So the social return of education is higher than the private return, supporting Stiglitz (1975) idea of signalling.     

论人的经济价值

本文认为,人的经济价值是人的价值的重要方面,是人为自己和社会创造的全部收入或财富,是社会存在和进步的基础;人的经济价值有两大特点,认识这些特点,并采取必要的措施提高人的经济价值,无论对个人发展还是社会进步,都是非常必要的.     

Physical capital taxation and labor income taxation in an endogenous growth model with new generations

This paper examines the growth and welfare effects of physical capital taxation and labor income taxation. It is found that the impact of a rise in the physical capital tax rate on the balanced growth rate is crucially related to the birth rate, but a rise in the labor income tax rate definitely reduces the balanced growth rate regardless of the birth rate. It is also found that an increase in the physical capital income tax rate will harm the older but will benefit the younger, while an increase in the labor income tax rate will benefit the older but will harm the younger.

独生子女政策对人力资本水平的影响研究--基于2005年1%人口抽样调查微观数据的实证研究

本文利用2005年1%人口抽样调查的微观数据估计了独生子女政策对中国人力资本水平的影响效应,为独生子女政策是否实现了“优生优育”的政策目标提供实证证据。研究发现,独生子女政策显著提高了独生子女的人力资本水平,促使他们获得高中及以上教育程度的概率平均提高了2．7个百分点。本文还发现,独生子女政策对人力资本水平的影响效应在城乡和性别间存在显著差异,在城市的影响效应大于农村,对女性的影响大于男性,独生子女政策一定程度上扩大了人力资本水平的城乡差距,然而对缩小性别间的人力资本差距起到积极作用,进一步研究发现人力资本水平的性别间差距缩小作用主要发生在城市内部,城市女性是独生子女政策的最大受益者。最后,本文通过缩小样本的出生时间范围、与少数民族样本的对比、控制父母亲的个人特征以及采用不同的人力资本衡量指标等方法对估计结果进行了稳健性检验,结果相当稳健。     

90年代以来甘肃省人力资本水平空间差异探讨

随着知识生产与创造的高素质科技劳动者逐步成为一个地区能否吸引现代经济活动的关键．人力资本在区域经济增长中越来越受到人们的关注。文章从时间和空间两方面入手．探讨了90年代以来甘肃省人力资本水平的空间差异及其变化状况。结果表明：甘肃省区域人力资本水平得到明显提高。人力资本水平的地理空间格局由1990年的中部高、西北和东南部低的“凸”字形分布渐渐转向2000年的中西北部高。而东南部低的倾斜式分布：区域人力资本水平差异仍然较大,其增长幅度的区域差异也十分显著。文章还就人力资本差异的形成机制进行了探讨,并提出了促使区域人力资本可持续发展的相关建议和对策。     

人力资本与东北地区经济发展

人力资本是经济增长的重要因素,对促进东北地区的经济发展起到了重要作用。东北地区正面临着人力资本短缺、人力资本投资不足、人力资本外流的严重挑战。为了解决这些问题,政府部门应采取增加教育投资、吸引人才等对策。     

西北五省区人力资本存量及投资现状分析

西北五省区属于我国的欠发达地区,其人力资本存量与东、中部①省份相比,明显偏低。因为人力资本存量是一国或一地区经济持续、稳定发展的重要依托,所以加大人力资本投资力度,增加人力资本存量,对于西北五省区尤为重要。文章按此主线展开,并提出了一些参考建议。     

Post-migration investments in education and job search: a family perspective

This paper examines post-migration investments in schooling and job search of immigrant families using new longitudinal data for Australia. Higher education levels at the time of arrival are associated with a greater probability of enrolling in school after migration. In households where the visa category would suggest that post-migration investments might be important, we find higher rates of school enrolment and job search. Traditional gender roles appear to dictate which partner makes the investments in formal schooling. However, labour market advantage, captured by principal applicant status, appears to dictate which partner makes greater investments in job search.

Unskilled labor and wage determination: an empirical investigation for Germany

This article contributes to the ongoing debate on native wage impacts of immigration. I propose a mobile-fixed factor distinction as a framework in which to think about the differential impact of immigration on various labor market groups. Skilled workers are treated as a fixed factor of production since the strong reliance on skill certification in Germany inhibits mobility and shelters from competition. Unskilled workers, in contrast, receive competitive wages. Using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel for 1984–1989 I estimate panel wage regressions for groups of workers separated by skill certification. I find that university graduates‘ wages increase, and the wages of workers without postsecondary degree decrease, as the industry share of unskilled workers increases. The effect for apprentices is ambiguous. JEL classification: F22, J31 Received January 19, 1995 / Accepted August 14, 1995