Gary Becker’s early work on human capital – collaborations and distinctiveness

Abstract

ᅟ: In a prolific and illustrious career, the late Gary Becker (1930–2014) developed what he would later call "the economic approach to human behaviour". One of the most significant strands of that research was that which focused on human capital, occuping a significant part of his career, especially in his early years. In this paper we will focus on Becker’s early work in human capital up to the publication of his book in 1964, a period that laid the foundations for his career and in which he tested the possibilities of (and the resistance to) this economic approach to human behaviour. We will explore the context in which the book was developed and the interactions with other people that were laying the foundations for human capital research, namely those working at the Chicago and Columbia Departments of Economics. JEL codes: B2; B3; I2; J3