This report clarifies what is now known about human capital and how it can be measured.

How are human capital investments allocated between women and men? What are the returns to investments in women's nutrition, health care, education, mobility, and training? In thirteen wide-ranging and innovative empirical analyses, Investment in Women's Human Capital explores the nature of human capital distributions to women and their effect on outcomes within the family. Section I considers the experiences of high-income countries, examining the limitations of industrialization for the advancement of women; returns to secondary education for women; and state control of women's education and labor market productivity through the design of tax systems and the public subsidy of children. The remaining four sections investigate health, education, household structure and labor markets, and measurement issues in low-income countries, including the effect of technological change on transfers of wealth to and from children in India; women's and men's responses to the costs of medical care in Kenya; the effects of birth order and sex on educational attainment in Taiwan; wage returns to schooling in Indonesia and in Cote d'Ivoire; and the increasing prevalence of female-headed households and the correlates of gender differences in wages in Brazil.

In 1965, a family-reunification policy for admitting immigrants to the United States replaced a system that chose immigrants based on their national origin. With this change, a 40-year hiatus in Asian immigration ended. Today, over three-quarters of US immigrants originate from Asia and Latin America. Two issues that dominate discussions of US immigration policy are the progress of post-reform immigrants and their contributions to the US economy. This book focuses on the earnings and human capital investment of Asian immigrants to the US after 1965. In addition, it provides a primer on studying immigrant economic assimilation, by explaining economists’ methodology to measure immigrant earnings growth and the challenges with this approach. The book also illustrates strategies to more fully use census data such as how to measure family income and how to use “panel data” that is embedded in the census. The book is a historical study as well as an extremely timely work from a policy angle. The passage of the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act set the United States apart among economically developed countries due to the weight given to family unification. Based on analyses by economists—which suggest that the quality of immigrants to the US fell after the 1965 law—policymakers have called for fundamental changes in the US system to align it with the immigration systems of other countries. This book offers an alternative view point by proposing a richer model that incorporates investments in human capital by immigrants and their families. It challenges the conventional model in three ways: First, it views the decline in immigrants’ entry earnings after 1965 as due to investment in human capital, not to permanently lower “quality.” Second, it adds human capital investment and earnings growth after entry to the model. And finally, by taking investments by family members into account, it challenges the policy recommendation that immigrants should be selected for their occupational qualifications rather than family connections.

Although much has been written to encourage organizations to treat employees as assets, this book argues persuasively for recognizing the worker as the investor. Davenport underscores a fundamental reality of the workplace: work is a two-way exchange of value, not a one-way exploitation of an asset by its owner. Offering a fresh new lens for viewing the realities of today's workplace, this book accurately captures the look of the new employee/employer relationship and the best practices for hiring, developing, and preserving a first-class workforce. Davenport's ideas bring together the key notions of human resources, conflict resolution, and management. He then demonstrates how to put into action the employment practices that provide the employer with organizational value and the employee with a satisfying return on his or her investment.

A diverse array of factors may influence both earnings and consumption; however, this work primarily focuses on the impact of investments in human capital upon an individual's potential earnings and psychic income. For this study, investments in human capital include such factors as educational level, on-the-job skills training, health care, migration, and consideration of issues regarding regional prices and income. Taking into account varying cultures and political regimes, the research indicates that economic earnings tend to be positively correlated to education and skill level. Additionally, studies indicate an inverse correlation between education and unemployment. Presents a theoretical overview of the types of human capital and the impact of investment in human capital on earnings and rates of return. Then utilizes empirical data and research to analyze the theoretical issues related to investment in human capital, specifically formal education. Considered are such issues as costs and returns of investments, and social and private gains of individuals. The research compares and contrasts these factors based upon both education and skill level. Areas of future research are identified, including further analysis of issues regarding social gains and differing levels of success across different regions and countries. (AKP).

The empirical literature on the contributions of human capital investments to economic growth shows mixed results. While evidence from OECD countries demonstrates that human capital accumulation is associated with growth accelerations, the substantial efforts of developing countries to improve access to and quality of education, as a means for skill accumulation, did not translate into higher income per capita. In this Element, we propose a framework, building on the principles of 'growth diagnostics', to enable practitioners to determine whether human capital investments are a priority for a country's growth strategy. We then discuss and exemplify different tests to diagnose human capital in a place, drawing on the Harvard Growth Lab's experience in different development context, and discuss various policy options to address skill shortages.

Making the "hard" business case for human capital investments isone of HR's greatest challenges. In this groundbreaking work, human capital analytics and strategy expert Frank DiBernardino provides a powerful method that links human capital investment performance with shareholder value. Using the formulas and methods described in this book will change the nature of the conversation about human resource initiatives in the C-suite. They will help HR build a "hard" business case linked to the financials that demonstrate the measurable value of people-centered initiatives. Praise for Optimize Human Capital Investments"The Vienna Index is an excellent and efficient tool to capture and analyze the true cost and productivity of all of the human capital engaged in the organization. The Vienna approach provides reliable, comprehensive and complete measurement that is consistent globally. It is the future of human capital analytics. "Thomas P. Clardy Formerly Senior Vice President Human Resources, QVC "As a former CFO who relied heavily on metrics to help support the management of disparate businesses, I welcome Frank DiBernardino's contribution to the management toolkit. For too long, managers have been limited by their inability to quantify, at an organizational level, the contribution of their human capital to the success of their business. With this book, Frank introduces us to a new way to measure and track our progress toward improving not only the efficiency, but also the effectiveness of an organization's human capital." Frank C. Zirnkilton, Jr.Managing Director Broad Reach Management LLC In my leadership role with the Graduate programs in Human Resource Development at Villanova, I am continually seeking innovations that will provide strategic advantage for human resource executives.Frank DiBernardino has provided a breakthrough contribution with the formulas and analytic methods described in Optimize Human Capital Investments. Frank has made the "hard" business case for human capital investments. HR leaders can use Frank's important contributions to the human capital analytics body of knowledge as the basis for making their own advancement to quantifying human capital. David P. Bush Ph.D.Director, Graduate Programs in Human Resource Development Villanova University

Investment in human capital is to the fore of debate and analysis in OECD countries about how to promote economic prosperity, fuller employment, and social cohesion. Individuals, organisations and nations increasingly recognise that high levels of know

This volume honours the contributions Claudia Goldin has made to scholarship and teaching in economic history and labour economics. The chapters address some closely integrated issues: the role of human capital in the long-term development of the American economy, trends in fertility and marriage, and women's participation in economic change.