Human Capital in History ─ The American Record

America’s economic leadership is the result of a remarkable, steady increase in the productivity of the average worker over the past two centuries, if not longer. Workers are more productive when they are given more capital to work with or when they combine more efficiently (through technology, for instance) with a given level of capital. Few better historical examples can be found of the importance of human capital than the ascendancy of the United States to economic supremacy over the last two centuries.
Pursuing this line of thought, Human Capital in History brings together leading researchers in economic history, labor economics, the economics of education, and related fields to present new findings that significantly challenge traditional views. The themes of the chapters are centered on Claudia Goldin’s research in the labor history of the United States: the roles of education and technology in determining economic growth and welfare, the experience of women in the workforce, and family choices. Each chapter features state-of-the-art analysis, advancing the literature on its topic significantly, and also providing a clear roadmap for further research. The volume will be a valuable resource for advanced students in economics and professional economists, primarily in the fields of economic history, labor economics, education, and development, and it will stimulate new work on the topics considered and related issues.

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.