Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Role Of Human Capital In Wealth Accumulation, Thomas Scheiding

University Avenue Undergraduate Journal of Economics

After an introduction to the fundamental elements of human capital theory, I will define the characteristics of general and specific human capital, and show who pays for and yields the benefits from investment in each component. I will then proceed to explain why understanding the magnitude of the rate of return in terms of wealth is imperative, both theoretically and practically. After I develop testable hypotheses, I will introduce the data set to be used, and present my model. Finally, I present the regression results, and provide a direction for future research in this area.