Measuring human capital using global learning data

Human capital—that is, resources associated with the knowledge and skills of individuals—is a critical component of economic development1,2. Learning metrics that are comparable for countries globally are necessary to understand and track the formation of human capital. The increasing use of international achievement tests is an important step in this direction3. However, such tests are administered primarily in developed countries4, limiting our ability to analyse learning patterns in developing countries that may have the most to gain from the formation of human capital. Here we bridge this gap by constructing a globally comparable database of 164 countries from 2000 to 2017. The data represent 98% of the global population and developing economies comprise two-thirds of the included countries. Using this dataset, we show that global progress in learning—a priority Sustainable Development Goal—has been limited, despite increasing enrolment in primary and secondary education. Using an accounting exercise that includes a direct measure of schooling quality, we estimate that the role of human capital in explaining income differences across countries ranges from a fifth to half; this result has an intermediate position in the wide range of estimates provided in earlier papers in the literature5–13. Moreover, we show that average estimates mask considerable heterogeneity associated with income grouping across countries and regions. This heterogeneity highlights the importance of including countries at various stages of economic development when analysing the role of human capital in economic development. Finally, we show that our database provides a measure of human capital that is more closely associated with economic growth than current measures that are included in the Penn world tables version 9.014 and the human development index of the United Nations15.

The dynamics of human capital accumulation in the ex-communist countries in Europe in the context of globalization

Research background: Countries with a similar background before 1990, in the communist bloc in Europe, have begun since the ‘90s to differentiate one from another in terms of development. Nowadays, in many aspects of the socio-economic environment, including welfare and labor productivity, the gaps between them are significant. Measurements done by World Bank Group through The Human Capital Project give us the opportunity to compare the achievements from the last 30 years of the ex-communist countries building strong democracies and open markets. Purpose of the article: The purpose of this paper is to identify the major gaps between 8 EU ex-communist countries in terms of human capital accumulation in the context of globalization – and the way the globalization fostered or suppressed the human development and human capital accumulation. Methods: We will do a comparative analysis of the indicators that the Human Capital Project are based on – life expectancy, expected years of schooling, quality of education and GDP/capita of the 8 EU ex-communist countries. Findings & Value added: This paper may add value to the economic and educational policies in the 8 EU ex-communist countries by identifying the policies that proved their effectiveness in generating higher labor productivity, policies that can be adapted and then adopted by the UE ex-communist countries that are less developed.

Increasing access and students’ enrolment in basic education: A challenge to quality education in Kano State, Nigeria

The drive to improve basic education delivery in Nigeria has been given tremendous impetus in recent years. The goal of basic education can only be realised through provision of inclusive, equitable and quality education; several indicators have shown that authorities jettison quality to focus in increasing access. This paper, therefore, reviews the provision and delivery of basic education in Kano state. Specifically, the paper revealed how increasing enrolment in affects the efforts to improve the quality of education in the state. While the government initiatives made significant differences by increasing access to education of children who would have been denied schooling, quality indicators which include teachers-pupil ratio, students’ academic achievement, attrition and completion rates have stagnated at best or dropped. Efforts to ensure and maintain quality education in the state are reported to face serious challenges, including mainly inadequate funding that will ensure provision of essential teaching and learning facilities and insufficient trained and competent teachers. Finally, the paper recommends among others that, adequate funding and ensuring judicious management of the funds, competent teachers should be engaged and their welfare be adequately improved, as well as the supply and maintenances of teaching and learning facilities. Sincerity in the implementations of these and other recommendations would positively affect the over 3.5 million children in basic education, encouraging further enrolment and improving the quality of education they receive. Keywords: Access, completion rate teaching, enrolment, quality education

Rupturas e permanências na busca de uma melhoria qualitativa: o ensino público no Distrito Federal (1979 — 1988)

Trata-se de um estudo sobre políticas públicas para educação onde foram priorizadas as questões da melhoria de qualidade de ensino e da continuidade e descontinuidade na implementação dos programas. Através de pesquisa centrada nos planos quadrienais e propostas curriculares, verificou-se que o sistema público de ensino do Distrito Federal, no período de 1979/1988, foi objeto de duas gestões, cujas propostas, apesar do traço comum da busca de melhoria qualitativa, apresentavam-se diametralmente opostas. As diferenças de posturas teóricas e os procedimentos adotados pelas duas administrações — uma, marcada pelo centralismo, verticalismo e tecnicismo; outra, pelo esforço de democratização do espaço escolar — não asseguraram, todavia, o pretendido avanço qualitativo. Abstract This is a study on public education politicswhich privileged better quality schooling issues as well as continuity and discontinuity in the programmes implantation. This research shows that public education in the Federal District has gone through two different managements whose politics — although both were trying to enhance schooling quality — stand on diametrical opposi tes. The differences in theoretical postures and procedures adopted by both administrations — one characterized by centralism, verticality and technicality, the other by its school democratization effort — were not, however, successful in realizing the expected quality betterment. Résumé Ils 'agit ici d'une étude des différentes politiques pour l 'éducation publique qui ont privilégié les questions d'amélioration de la qualité de l'enseignement ainsi que celles de la continuité et des ruptures lors de l'implantation des programmes. La présente recherche a constaté que le système d'instruction publique du District Fédéral a connu deux gestions dont les politiques, bien qu 'ayant l'objectif commun d'amélioration de la qualité, se sont montrées diamétralement opposées — les différences de postures théoriques et manières de procéder adoptées par chacune des deux administrations. Resumen Este es un estudio sobre políticas públicas para la educación en el cual se ha dado prioridad a las cuestiones de mejora en la calidad de ensenanza, y continuidad/discontinuidad en la implementación de programas. La investigación demostró que el sistema público de ensenanza en el Distrito Federal ha sido objeto de dos gestiones que, malgrado proponiendo las dos la mejora en la calidad, sus políticas resultaron diametralmente opuestas entre si. Las posturas teóricas y los procedimientos prácticos se presentan muy distintos. Una adminstración se ha caracterizado por el centralismo, el verticalismo y el tecnicismo; mientras la otra, por el esfuerzo en la democratización del espacio escolar. Sin embargo, ni ¡a una, ni la otra, han logrado el prometido adelanto en la calidad de la ensenanza.

Quality of life of elderly quilombolas in the Brazilian northeast

Objective: To evaluate the quality of life (QoL) of elderly quilombolas (residents of quilombo settlements first established by escaped slaves) in mixed urban and rural residential developments (agrovilas) in Alcântara, Maranhão, Brazil. Method: An observational, cross-sectional and descriptive study was performed. The sample consisted of 129 elderly people of both genders, aged 60 years or older and living in northeastern Brazil. The sample was allocated into three groups, distributed according to geographic space. Quality of life was assessed using the WHOQoL-Bref instrument and a sociodemographic questionnaire was applied. The comparison between groups was carried out using the Anova test (one-way) and subsequently the Bonferroni Post-Hoc test. The correlation was obtained by the Pearson test, p<0.05. Results: Elderly quilombolas had a mean age of 69.7 years (±7.9) and were predominantly men with low income and schooling. Quality of life had higher scores in the social domain (values) and lower in the environmental domain (values). Quality of life as measured by the psychological domain was higher in group I than in groups II (p=0.012) and III (p=0.002). The facets of QoL correlated with facets of health for group I (r=0.357; p=0.032) and III (r=0.461; p<0.001). Conclusion: The situation of the quilombola population surveyed is considered vulnerable and psychological factors influence QoL.