June 2007

IZA DP No. 2875: The Economics, Technology and Neuroscience of Human Capability Formation

published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2007, 104 (33), 13250-13255

This paper begins the synthesis of two currently unrelated literatures: the human capital approach to health economics and the economics of cognitive and noncognitive skill formation. A lifecycle investment framework is the foundation for understanding the origins of human inequality and for devising policies to reduce it.