This paper is a review of the literature in economics on the effect on earnings of human capital investment from Adam Smith to the early 1980s. It discusses the use of the net present value (NPV) technique by Walsh and Friedman and Kuznets, and Becker's use of the NPV to estimate the internal rate of return to schooling. The first regression-based…

Purpose: Vocational education and training (VET) programmes are key contributors to skill and talent development for nations worldwide, as aligned with the UN's sustainable development goals (SDGs). The purpose of this paper is to explore gender inclusion in VET programmes from an economic feminist (EF) theoretical perspective.…

Human resource development is known to encapsulate a collection of social science disciplines including communications, psychology, and economics. Since these and other similar areas are the cornerstones of HRD, the changing nature of HRD demands constant reflections on the value and building blocks of contemporary HRD inquiries. This article…

Motivated by the large differences in labor market outcomes across college majors, we survey the literature on the demand for and return to high school and postsecondary education by field of study. We combine elements from several papers to provide a dynamic model of education and occupation choice that stresses the roles of the specificity of…

This monograph complements volume 36, issue number 4 of ASHE Higher Education Report: "Understanding the New Majority of Non-Tenure-Track Faculty," and focuses on theories applied to study non-tenure-track faculty and philosophical and practical tensions represented in the literature. The chapter "Theories Used to Study and…

Using data for 108 colleges in the California Community College System, this paper poses two questions. First, do California community colleges differ in their missions? Second, if they do, can inter-college differences in missions be explained? We address the first question by developing college-specific measures of curriculum mix, which we use…

The United States is faced with two serious economic problems: declining productivity growth and rising unemployment. These problems have become severe in the last decade. Both problems are caused by a number of factors, but experts fail to agree on which factors have most contributed to the problems. This paper examines the relationship between…

This book discusses the economics of immigration, analyzing immigrants' skills, national origins, welfare use, economic mobility, and impact on the labor market and using new data to trace current trends in ethnic segregation. Twelve chapters examine (1) "Reframing the Immigration Debate"; (2) "The Skills of Immigrants"; (3)…

By embracing education as an economic development tool, policy makers adopt a new economic metaphor--a new way of understanding how the economy works and identifying determinants of development. Development policy has shifted focus, from providing incentives for the accumulation of physical capital to emphasizing investments in human capital. Most…

Traces the development of post-Keynesian economic theories and examines the arguments which surround current neo-Keynesian thought. Argues for an eclecticism which recognizes that both supply-side and demand-side factors have a role to play in determining levels of output and employment. Useful charts and diagrams are included. (Author/DH)

This report consists of an analysis of labor market conditions in Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) member countries and an exploration of possible future policy responses to the problems of unemployment. Covered in the labor market analysis are the following topics: the macro-economic environment (macro-economic trends…

Latin Americans are displacing Blacks in the most menial and low paying positions as a rapidly increasing percentage of the various categories of dirty work are being occupied by Spanish speaking people. As Blacks move into less menial and better paying positions, a new underclass of Spanish speaking immigrant workers is being created. (Author/NQ)

This report contains analyses of key aspects of the scope, quality, and vitality of the Nation's science and engineering enterprise and global science and technology. The report presents information on science, mathematics, and engineering education at all levels; the scientific and engineering workforce; U.S. and international and development…

This support document accompanies the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) report "From School to Work: The Role of Traineeships" (ED493902). It contains a comprehensive review of the literature referred to in that report and detailed descriptions and results of the econometric modeling upon which the findings are…

Contingent workers are those employed in jobs that do not fit the traditional description of a full-time, permanent job with benefits. Contingent work takes the form of part-time, temporary, and contract employment. The number of contingent workers in 1988 has been estimated at between 29.9 and 36.6 million, representing 25-30 percent of the…