Human Capital in History

America’s expansion to one of the richest nations in the world was partly due to a steady increase in labor productivity, which in turn depends upon the invention and deployment of new technologies and on investments in both human and physical capital. The accumulation of human capital—the knowledge and skill of workers—has featured prominently in American economic leadership over the past two centuries.

Human Capital in History brings together contributions from leading researchers in economic history, labor economics, the economics of education, and related fields. Building on Claudia Goldin’s landmark research on the labor history of the United States, the authors consider the roles of education and technology in contributing to American economic growth and well-being, the experience of women in the workforce, and how trends in marriage and family affected broader economic outcomes. The volume provides important new insights on the forces that affect the accumulation of human capital.

Leah Platt Boustan is associate professor of economics at the University of California, Los Angeles, and a research associate of the NBER. She is also a research associate at the California Center for Population Research and the Center for Research and Analysis of Migration at University College London. Carola Frydman is assistant professor in the Department of Economics at Boston University and a faculty research fellow of the NBER. Robert A. Margo is professor of economics at Boston University and a research associate of the NBER. He is the author, most recently, of Wages and Labor Markets in the United States, 1820–1860.

— EH.net